Manager Cristian Chivu praised his side's second-half display, revealing how their halftime message shaped the result. "We celebrated a lot at 3-1 because that's exactly what we discussed," he said. "The idea was to come back out and put the game to bed, and we did that straight away."
Inter struck early through Lautaro Martinez, finishing clinically after a sharp move involving Marcus Thuram. Roma responded before the break when Gianluca Mancini headed home, but Hakan Calhanoglu restored Inter's lead with a stunning long-range strike just before halftime.
That goal proved decisive. Inter returned with greater intensity, and Chivu highlighted the shift. "In the second half we showed more courage, broke the lines and moved the ball quicker," he explained. "We raised the tempo and played a really strong second half."
Martínez added his second soon after the restart following another Thuram assist, before Thuram himself got on the scoresheet. Nicolo Barella then capped a dominant spell with Inter's fifth, punishing a stretched Roma defence.
Chivu was particularly pleased with the collective effort. "I'm thrilled to have Martínez back, Thuram with a goal and two assists, Barella scoring, and Dumfries excellent in the second half," he said.
Roma did pull one back through Lorenzo Pellegrini, but the damage had already been done. The defeat extended their poor run, with just one win in seven matches across all competitions.
Chivu also reflected on the wider football environment, calling for a shift in mindset. "We are all responsible in football - coaches, players, fans, media. Criticism sells, but the game should come first. We need to protect what makes fans fall in love with football."
Inter are top of Serie A with a nine-point lead over AC Milan, while AS Roma are in sixth place.
Napoli and AC Milan meet on Monday with Serie A leaders Inter Milan still firmly in their sights, but the return of domestic football over Easter has been overshadowed by Italy missing another World Cup.
Manchester United have reportedly intensified their pursuit of Roma centre-back Evan Ndicka, with the transfer battle for the highly rated defender escalating rapidly across Europe.
Romelu Lukaku is facing the possibility of disciplinary action at Napoli after failing to report for training when called back by the club, deepening uncertainty over his current situation in Italy.
Mohamed Salah has become the centre of one of this summer's most high-profile transfer sagas after confirming he will leave Liverpool at the end of the 2025/26 season.
