Pio Esposito struck late at San Siro to finally break Lecce’s resistance and send Inter Milan six points clear at the top of Serie A.
Inter had been frustrated for most of the match by a relegation-battling Lecce side, with Cristian Chivu using a much-changed lineup and Lautaro Martínez initially given a rare night off. Ange-Yoan Bonny started in attack and was the first Inter player to threaten, but Wladimiro Falcone kept out the Frenchman in the opening stages.
Bonny was then involved in a major first-half decision after 24 minutes, turning inside the Lecce area before going down under a challenge from Danilo Veiga. Inter were awarded a penalty, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.
The Nerazzurri could not turn their possession into another clear opening before the interval, and Lecce reached halftime level. Nicolò Barella, captaining Inter in Martínez’s absence, almost changed that soon after the restart with a header, only for Falcone to react strongly again.
Lecce stayed compact and continued to make Inter work for every chance. The visitors also had a moment to trouble the home side after 73 minutes, when Jamil Siebert’s deflected effort forced Yann Sommer into an important save.
Substitute Esposito gave Inter the sharper edge they had been missing. Falcone first denied him with another excellent stop, but the 20-year-old Italy international then forced the breakthrough after 78 minutes, bundling in after Martinez’s effort had been saved.
Esposito nearly added another soon after, curling narrowly wide as Inter kept pressure on Lecce. The goal was enough for a hard-earned win that also punished another Napoli slip, with the defending champions held 0-0 at home by Parma for a third straight league draw.
AC Milan still have a chance to respond away at Como, but Inter left San Siro with the immediate advantage at the summit after a match that required patience, late changes and one decisive contribution from Esposito.