An early goal from Walter Samuel was enough to secure a derby victory for Inter Milan at the San Siro on Sunday evening.

Massimiliano Allegri entered the match with speculation regarding his future at AC Milan continuing and his position will be called into question again this week.

Sports Mole analyses the key stats and talking points from a tight contest in Milan.

AC Milan

Shots: 15
On target: 5
Possession: 66%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 20

Inter Milan

Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 34%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

Milan will argue that they deserved at least a point from the game and it's hard to dispute that but their attacking play wasn't good enough. Inter were under pressure for almost the entire second half and were fortunate not to concede.

AC Milan's performance

Allegri's team were very slow to start a game with massive importance and they were punished for their below-par beginning to the contest. The Rossoneri enjoyed the majority of possession but their decision-making in the final third of the pitch cost them a point.

Inter Milan's performance

Andrea Stramaccioni will be very proud of his side's ability to grind out the result and keep in touch with the teams at the top of the table. Inter defended superbly in the second half after Yuto Nagatomo was shown a red card and were rightly overjoyed when the final whistle was eventually blown.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Walter Samuel: The defender was a gladiator for Stramaccioni's men in the second half. He controlled the back line superbly after he opened the scoring with a bullet of a header and made some vital interceptions when it looked as though Milan would earn a late point.

Biggest gaffe

Nagatomo's decision to hang out his arm to prevent a pass in the middle of the pitch was puzzling. The full back was rightly shown a second yellow card and will be relieved that his dismissal didn't cost his team the victory.

What next?

AC Milan: After the international break Milan face a tough trip to Lazio, where they will be hoping a positive result could kick start their season.

Inter Milan: Stramaccioni's team welcome Catania to the San Siro on October 21. The fixture isn't as straightforward as in previous seasons, as the club from Siciliy are enjoying an impressive start to their league campaign.