A goalkeeping horror-show from Dida gifted Internazionale a 2-1 Serie A win over Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza.

The 35-year-old is renowned for high-profile mistakes and he did himself no favours in allowing Julio Cruz and Esteban Cambiasso to score after Andrea Pirlo had given his side an early lead.

Inter's win will be tempered by the news that defender Walter Samuel is likely to be out for the rest of the season after hobbling off injured during the first half of the match with a suspected cruciate ligament injury.

An entertaining first half saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic - restored to the side after missing the 4-1 Coppa Italia win over Reggina in the midweek - fire a well-taken volley over after good work from Maicon on the back, but it was the "visitors" who took the lead on 18 minutes when Pirlo fired a quite superb free kick into the top left from just outside the area.

Aside from some interesting runs and nice touches from World Player of the Year Kaka, Inter were the more progressive of the sides and they almost levelled when Luis Jimenez - returning from injury to ease Roberto Mancini's midfield crisis - fired off the underside of the bar after Dida had tipped Julio Cruz' cross away from under the nose of Zlatan Ibrahimovic arriving in the box.

They did get their equaliser nine minutes before the break when Zlatan did exceptionally well in the left corner to find Cambiasso on the edge of the box, his pass to Cruz fired low into the bottom left with Dida perhaps culpable.

It was nothing on his next error, however. Paolo Maldini's slightly poor defensive header landed at the feet of Cambiasso, who fired low and straight at Dida only for the Brazil shot stopper to dive in completely the wrong direction and allow the ball to go in off his legs and put Inter 2-1 up on 63 minutes.

It was an inexplicable howler which took Milan some time to recover from, on the back foot for the next quarter of an hour and looking sluggish at best, disinterested at worst.

Zlatan went close with a low drive after excellent skill to take the ball off his chest and ghost past Maldini and Alessandro Nesta, but Milan edged their way back into the match and had some good late chances with Julio Cesar expertly saving Kaka's volley and Marco Materazzi blocking Alessandro Nesta's shot, while Massimo Ambrosini somehow missed Serginho's low cross in the 88th minute.

But Inter held on for the win which keeps them seven points clear of second-placed Roma.

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FIORENTINA 5 CAGLIARI 1

Fiorentina struck in the third minute with a Riccardo Montolivo effort from outside the area. Michele Fini equalised three minutes later.

The home side then went on a rampage with midfielder Mario Santana and Romania striker Adrian Mutu scoring two each.

Basement club Cagliari, who had to reject coach Nedo Sonetti's resignation last week after former boss Marco Giampaolo turned down an offer to return, have not won since September.

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JUVENTUS 2 SIENA 0

Bosnian midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic tapped Juve in front in the 32nd minute after a Pavel Nedved cross caused panic in the Siena defence.

France forward David Trezeguet claimed his 13th goal of season with a right-footed shot from the edge of the area in the second-half.

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LIVORNO 1 ATALANTA 1

Fernando Tissone's splendid free kick quickly cancelled out Livorno defender Fabio Galante's 26th-minute opening goal.

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NAPOLI 1 TORINO 1

Alessandro Rosina scored with a spot kick for Torino in the 36th minute although TV replays suggested the penalty was unjust as Napoli's Maurizio Domizzi had not handled the ball.

Torino's Australian defender Vincenzo Grella was sent-off shortly before the break for a second yellow card.

In the second-half Domizzi missed a penalty before substitute Marek Hamsyk earned Napoli a point.

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PALERMO 2 LAZIO 2

Goals from Fabio Firmani and Igli Tare earned the Romans a draw after Brazilian duo Fabio Simplicio and Amauri had put Palermo in control.

Amauri missed a penalty when Palermo were 2-0 up, while Lazio had defenders Sebastiano Siviglia and Lorenzo De Silvestri sent-off in the last 15 minutes.

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REGGINA 3 CATANIA 1

Midfielder Luca Vigiani scored a hat-trick to give Reggina their second win of the season.

Peruvian full-back Juan Manuel Vargas scored for the Sicilians, who had Gennaro Sardo red-carded in the closing stages.

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UDINESE 2 EMPOLI 2

The visitors came back with goals from Andrea Raggi and Lino Marzoratti after Andrea Dossena and former Empoli striker Antonio Di Natale had twice put fourth-placed Udinese in front.

Empoli played most of the second-half with 10 because Francesco Pratali was sent-off for a second yellow card in the 57th minute.

Reda Maher, Eurosport / Reuters