Conte's Internazionale finally ends the Old Lady of Turin's monopoly

Serie A winning Conte's gift: Knowing how to elevate good footballers into winning ones.

MILAN IS BLUE: Inter Milan fans celebrate winning the Serie A Scudetto on Sunday.

It was Sassuolo who applied the final lick of paint to Antonio Conte’s masterpiece. The Internazionale manager had warned for weeks against presumption, insisting his team were not champions yet even as they pulled away at the top of Serie A. “We hope to finish what we started this season,” he said. “That would truly be a work of art.” 

A 2-0 win at Crotone on Saturday moved Inter to within a point of the Scudetto. The scenes in the changing room felt like a title celebration, as players bounced on benches and sang terrace chants about the league leader pulling away. Mathematically, though, it was not over yet. If second-placed Atalanta beat Sassuolo, they could stay in touch for one more week.