AC Milan took a knife to Inter Milan's Scudetto ambitions with a thoroughly emphatic 3-0 victory at the San Siro.
Alex began the rout midway through the first-half for the Rossoneri before two quickfire second-half goals from Carlos Bacca and M'Baye Niang compounded Roberto Mancini's misery.
Frenetic half
The atmosphere, as expected, was electric from the outset. M’Baye Niang ghosted past Miranda inside ninety seconds but it was Ivan Perisic’s angled pass that set alarm bells ringing in the Rossoneri camp.
Debutant Eder was liberated by the Croatian and, though his cross for Stefan Jovetic was intercepted, the early evidence of the new arrival was positive.
That was until he spurned a golden opportunity on the sixth minute mark, heading Juan Jesus’ unerring delivery inexplicably back across the Milan goal.
Kucka was next to threaten the Inter goal. After deftly nutmegging Marcelo Brozovic, the midfielder flashed a tantalising delivery across goal but Samir Handanovic was vigilant and pawed the ball to safety.
Jovetic ought to have done better when he peeled to the far stick and met Ivan Perisic’s searching cross, but his insipid effort was claimed comfortably by Gigi Donnarumma.
Miranda was prompted into action seconds later when he intervened to foil Keisuke Honda from prodding home Ignazio Abate’s low-driven cross.
But from the ensuing corner, Milan capitalised. From the same provider, Honda stood a delightful cross up to the far stick and Alex towered above those in Nerazzurri powered his header beyond Handanovic to spark scenes of euphoria in the Rossoneri dugout.
Milan’s defensive frailties were unearthed when Alex failed to deal with a ball in-behind the Rossoneri’s rearguard. Fortunately, Donnarumma was vigilant and mopped up the danger.
Sinisa Mihajlovic’s pose a threat of their own, however, and on 55 minutes they called the Inter backline into action from a set-piece.
Alessio Romagnoli stabbed Alex’s flick-on back across goal and when the ball feel invitingly for Giacomo Bonaventura, Miranda was forced to spare his side’s blushes with an excellent block.
The complexion of the tie threatened to alter on 68 minutes when Alex upended substitute Mauro Icardi after Donnarumma had thwarted the Argentine’s strike.
An impressive spot-kick record to his name, Icardi spotted the ball but, despite sending the Milan No.1 the wrong way, struck the outside of the post with his effort and Mihajlovic exhaled.
Milan onslaught
Only four minutes separated the forward’s miss from the Rossoneri’s second of the evening.
Profiting from a lapse in concentration from Roberto Mancini’s charges, Niang was granted the time and space to deliver a pinpoint cross into his strike partner Carlos Bacca and he cooly side-footed past a hapless Handanovic.
Strike when the iron is hot, says the old adage, and few could question Mihajlovic’s overexuberant celebrations after Niang netted his side’s third on thirteen minutes from time.
Bonaventura pilfered possession from Davide Santon before charging towards goal. The Frenchman expertly peeled away to manufacture space and, after his initial effort was repelled by Handanovic, he slammed his rebound into the roof of the net to ensure of all three points.
Mario Balotelli replaced the goalscoring minutes later and could have had a goal of his own when he met Honda’s pull-back.