Guarin fires Inter top as Balotelli returns to fray

Mancini's men hung on to claim city bragging rights after a hard fought battle at the San Siro

MILAN: A Fredy Guarin pile-driver fired Inter Milan two points clear at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over AC Milan, for whom Mario Balotelli made his second debut on Sunday.

Having failed to qualify for Europe this season, both Milan giants are desperate to make up for years of underachievement -- and on this performance may now fancy their chances of a top finish, especially given Juventus's early season woes.

If Milan were overawed by the hostile atmosphere at a packed San Siro, it didn't show as they shaded a lively first half and produced a solid performance after the restart.

Milan spurned a great chance inside the third minute, Carlos Bacca pouncing on a mis-hit clearance by Jeison Murillo to find Luiz Adriano, who saw his shot blocked by the onrushing Samir Handanovic.

On-loan Manchster City forward Stevan Jovetic drilled just wide of Diego Lopez's post at the other end moments later after Adriano had given up possession cheaply.

In the last six league derbies neither side had scored more than one goal and the near capacity crowd of 79,154 fans almost saw one as Inter suffered a scare soon after.

Bacca found Adriano with a defence-splitting pass only for the former Shakhtar marksman to skew his effort high and wide while under pressure.

Inter were looking nervous, and Milan almost capitalised.

When Giacomo Bonaventura countered on 19 minutes, his pinpoint pass found Adriano but the Brazilian was blocked by Juan Jesus as he was about to pull the trigger.

At the other end, Ivan Perisic did well to find Guarin to the right of the area but the Colombian's effort deflected out for a corner.

Keisuke Honda, playing just behind Bacca and Adriano, fired a half-chance from the edge of the area that Handanovic handled well.

But Milan breathed a sigh of relief on the stroke of half-time when Lopez produced a wonderful reflex save to deny striker Mauro Icardi from close range.

Jovetic produced Inter's first chance of the second half after a poor Lopez clearance, but the Argentinian's effort was blocked.

Milan began to build momentum again but on the counter Inter proved dangerous. A Perisic ball from the left flank caused confusion and Lopez tipped Guarin's bouncing header over the bar.

The Spanish goalkeeper was finally beaten when Milan's defence fatally backed off and allowed Guarin to unleash a drive that beat Lopez at his far corner for his 15th Serie A goal on his 100th league appearance.

Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic immediately replaced Bacca with Mario Balotelli, the former Inter striker's arrival prompting a deafening chorus of boos that quietened when the on-loan Liverpool forward whipped in a free-kick that went dangerously close to Handanovic's far post.

Defender Alex Telles made his Inter debut when he replaced Jesus and, moments later, he did well to block Honda's cross from the right, while at the other end Abate intervened in timely fashion to block Icardi's effort on goal from Davide Santon's nicely weighted pass.

Balotelli, however, was making an impact, notably shaving the outside of Handanovic's post from outside the area with 12 minutes left on the clock.

Minutes later he won a free kick from a challenge by Guarin, and from 35 yards drove just wide of the upright.

Mancini responded by replacing Perisic with defender Andtea Ranocchia with five minutes to play and Inter hung on to claim city bragging rights.