ITALIAN SERIE AINTER MILAN restored their four-point lead in Serie A after goals from Patrick Vieira and Mario Balotelli secured a 2-0 win at Atalanta yesterday.
Second-placed AS Roma's 3-2 win over Genoa on Saturday had cut the gap to a point but champions Inter returned to form with a clinical display after three league games without a win.
With six games remaining, Inter have 72 points and Roma are on 68. Juventus were beaten 3-2 away to Palermo last night and are 10 points adrift of Roma in third with two games in hand.
Fourth-placed Fiorentina are four points clear of AC Milan in the race for the final Champions League spot after strikers Giampaolo Pazzini and Adrian Mutu sealed a 2-0 win over Reggina, who drop to the bottom, two points from safety.
Milan beat second-bottom Cagliari 3-1 on Saturday but are running out of games to make the Champions League, which they won last season.
Udinese slipped to seventh after a 1-1 draw at Siena with Sampdoria moving above them into sixth, level on points with Milan, after Antonio Cassano returned from a five-game ban to inspire the home side to a 2-0 victory over lowly Livorno.
Empoli, who reappointed Luigi Cagni last week, moved off the bottom after a late Ighli Vannucchi goal snatched a 1-0 win at Torino. Catania were also big winners in the relegation fight, beating Napoli 3-0 in Walter Zenga's first game in charge.
