Serie A 2019-20: 10-man Internazionale see off Sampdoria for record-equaling win

Table-toppers Internazionale were the only unbeaten team in the Italian top-flight, along with Juventus, going into the sixth matchday of the 2019-20 Serie A season. The Nerazzuri had won the first five games of the season for the fourth time in their history.

At the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Saturday Inter promptly extended that run to six, which marked their best-ever start to a Serie A season in 53 years. Back in 1966-67 the 18-time champions also won their first six games.

Midfielder Stefano Sensi opened the scoring 20 minutes into the game, and new-loan signing Alexis Sanchez celebrated his first top-flight goal for his new club as Internazionale opened up a two-goal lead midway through the first half.

A yellow card procured by Sanchez two minutes from half-time proved disastrous for the visitors, as three minutes after the breather the Chilean accrued a second yellow for allegedly 'diving' to reduce Inter to 10 men.

Goalscorer turns from hero to villain as Sanchez sees red against Sampdoria

Sampdoria sensed an opportunity to get back into the game and they did just that in the 55th minute when their midfielder Jakub Jankto fired a low left-footed effort into the bottom corner.

The hosts' resurgence proved to be short-lived though. Inter, despite their numerical disadvantage, restored their two-goal cushion at the hour-mark when Roberto Gagliardini converted the rebound after Samp keeper Emil Audero saved his first goal-bound effort.

That was the cue for coach Antonio Conte to ring in his final substitution of the match, as goal-scorer Sensi made way for Nicolò Barella.

Sampdoria coach Eusebio Di Francesco withdrew Ronaldo Vieira for Albin Ekdal and Gianluca Caprari for Karol Linetty, but the changes failed to have the desired effect as the Inter citadel remained intact for the remainder of the game.

Four minutes from time, Romelu Lukaku bore down on goal but his chip failed to elude the Samdoria keeper as Inter had to remain content with a 3-1 win.

Romelu Lukaku

The win equaled Inter's record of six successive wins at the start of the 1966-67 season, as Conte became the first Nerazzurri boss to win his first six competitive Serie A games.

In the process, Inter usurped Juventus at the top of the table, after the defending champions had momentarily moved to the top of the pile with a 2-0 home win over SPAL in an earlier kick-off.