Typical – you go away for one weekend and miss the game of the season. As some of you may have spotted, I have been in America over the last two days covering the Super Bowl, and as a result unfortunately wasn't able to see any of the Serie A games over the weekend. So rather than the usual blog I have just put together a few talking points covering the big stories based on a quick scan of the online Italian papers and a hasty watching of highlights. Apologies for the lack of a full blog, rest assured normal service will resume next week.

Talking points

• Inter v Roma may not actually have been the game of the season (it is hard for me to say on basis of highlights alone, but there is Milan's 4-4 draw with Udinese to consider) but by all accounts it was certainly something rather special. "I remain a Brazilian and 5-3 is a result that I like," grinned Leonardo afterwards, though he was surely not smiling when Simone Loria scored to make it 4-3 with 10 minutes left. Inter had led 4-1 with a quarter of an hour remaining. This fixture has tended to produce goals of late – there have been 94 in 27 games over the past six years – and Inter were without both Lúcio and Walter Samuel, but the Italian and European champions have been frail defensively under Leonardo, conceding 13 goals in their past nine games. Then again, they have won nine out of the Brazilian's first 10 games in charge. As long as his team keep finding ways to score more than their opponents, few Interisti will complain.

• The win will have been rendered all the more satisfying by the fact that Milan were held again – this time by Genoa – meaning Inter have made up four points in the space of four days. The Milan manager, Massimiliano Allegri, insisted his team were still favourites for the title, but their lead over Inter is now only five points and the Nerazzurri have a game in hand. Napoli, too, are back to within three points of the leaders after their win over Cesena. If Milan are to see off both challengers they will need to rediscover the ability to be clinical in front of goal.

• So I'm supposed to believe that on the one weekend I'm away, Amauri not only scored but did so with a brilliant bicycle kick? I mean this video has to be a fake … right?

• Juventus won't miss Amauri, in any case, as long as their new frontline is doing the business. Alessandro Matri had been one of those players who enjoyed scoring against Juve for Cagliari – notching four goals in his past four games against the Bianconeri – but seemed just as comfortable after switching sides for this fixture. His two goals will help quieten the dissenters who felt this was too grand a stage for the player. With Luca Toni also opening his account for Juventus, it was a very positive Saturday indeed for the Old Lady.

• Matri was rewarded for his efforts with a call-up to the Italy squad for the friendly against Germany. The national team manager, Cesare Prandelli, also named Sebastian Giovinco and Thiago Motta in his squad for the first time.

• Where Matri barely celebrated his goals against his former club, Palermo's Fabrizio Miccoli was reduced to tears when he whipped a delicious free-kick over the wall and into Antonio Rosati's net just before half-time in his team's win at Lecce. Miccoli, a boyhood Lecce fan who was rejected by the club as a youngster due to his lack of height, was substituted at half-time having been apparently inconsolable in the dressing room at the thought of having hurt a club that is so close to his heart.

• Udinese won again too, with Antonio Di Natale getting his 100th goal for the club in the win over Sampdoria. He, unsurprisingly, had no such qualms about celebrating.

Results: Bologna 1-0 Catania, Brescia 2-0 Bari, Cagliari 1-3 Juventus, Genoa 1-1 Milan, Inter 5-3 Roma, Lazio 1-1 Chievo, Lecce 2-4 Palermo, Napoli 2-0 Cesena, Parma 1-1 Fiorentina, Udinese 2-0 Sampdoria.

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