A year later, Inter again demolished Sassuolo 7-0 with a Mauro Icardi hat-trick and Domenico Berardi sent off.

The Nerazzurri famously beat Sassuolo 7-0 last season, but things have changed since then with Eusebio Di Francesco’s side securing Serie A safety and launching Italian talents. This week Simone Zaza scored on his competitive senior Italy debut, while Domenico Berardi was on target for a European Under-21 Championship play-off spot. Rodrigo Palacio and Fredy Guarin were fit enough for the bench, but Nemanja Vidic was suspended following his red card against Torino and Jonathan injured.

Mauro Icardi sprung the offside trap on a Mateo Kovacic through ball, but needed three attempts to finally bundle it past a desperate Andrea Consigli.

Sassuolo fought back immediately and Sansone’s angled drive whistled inches wide, but they lost Sime Vrsaljko to a sprained ankle.

Inter doubled their lead with a well-worked goal, as two flicks from Icardi and Daniel Osvaldo sent Kovacic through to score his first Serie A goal.

Icardi got his second of the game with a fine curler from outside the box, though the Neroverdi defence allowed him far too much time and space on the ball.

When Sassuolo did go forward, Juan Jesus prevented Simone Zaza from taking advantage of a counter-attack.

Inter added a fourth before the break. Dodo deserved much of the credit, nutmegging Gazzola and forcing Consigli into a save, but Osvaldo turned in the rebound. It was his first Serie A goal for the Nerazzurri and, as promised, he celebrated with a Gabriel Batistuta style machine-gun mime.

Saphir Taider came on for Sassuolo in the second half, facing his parent club after this summer’s loan at Southampton was abandoned within three weeks.

That 7-0 was still very much on the cards and Icardi completed his hat-trick, running on to a Kovacic through ball to shoot on the spin from a tight angle.

Taider tested Handanovic, but Berardi let frustration get the better of him and was sent off for an elbow on Juan Jesus.

Osvaldo rounded out the scoreline to 6-0, allowed an easy tap-in when Fredy Guarin generously rolled across.

A year ago it was 7-0 and that result was replicated at San Siro, as Guarin got in on the act with a powerful finish.