Inter opened up an eight-point lead at the top of Serie A after cruising to a comfortable 2-0 win over Cremonese at Stadio Giovanni Zini.

Lautaro Martinez and Piotr Zieleinski both struck in the first half to clinch the points, with Cremonese unable to mount a comeback attempt after the break.

Francesco Pio Esposito headed a tame attempt at Emil Audero early on before Petar Sucic and Martinez both fired wide of the target from distance.

But Martinez got it right in the 16th minute, thumping a header past Audero from Federico Dimarco's whipped corner.

Federico Ceccherini then dragged wide moments later as Cremonese missed the chance to instantly put the pressure on Inter, who doubled their lead just past the half-hour mark.

Luis Henrique cut inside from the right before laying it off to Zielinski, who powered a stunning long-range effort into the top-right corner to give Audero no chance.

Yann Sommer had to bail out his defence after Federico Bonazzoli pounced on a mistake from Yann Bisseck, but Cremonese offered little threat in the second half.

Alessio Zurbin did strike the outside of the post late on, while Dimarco saw a drive smothered at the other end following a counter-attack, but Inter ultimately prevailed despite a more muted second half.

Data Debrief: Martinez moving up the ranks

Martinez netted his 13th goal for Inter in Serie A this season, already a team-high, but he has also made moves in the all-time scoring list.

He has equalled Alessandro Altobelli (both 128 goals) as the fourth-highest scorer in the club's Serie A history – only Giuseppe Meazza (197), Benito Lorenzi (138), and Stefano Nyers (133) have netted more for the Nerazzurri in the top-flight.

Inter dominated from start to finish, having 69.1% possession in the game, while attempting 15 shots worth 1.34 expected goals (xG). Cremonese, by contrast, finished with 0.6 xG from nine shots.