Inter Milan secured a 1-0 win at lowly Venezia on Sunday thanks to an early goal from Matteo Darmian that lifted them to second place in Serie A.

The visitors took the lead after 16 minutes when Lautaro Martinez unleashed a low volley, forcing Venezia keeper Filip Stankovic into a one-handed reflex save, but the rebound fell perfectly for Darmian who slotted it home.

Davide Frattesi missed a chance to double Inter’s lead in a one-on-one with Stankovic and Venezia threatened a late equaliser when Gianluca Busio’s strike hit the post.

Inter moved on to 43 points, one ahead of Atalanta, who were held to a goalless draw at Udinese on Saturday. Napoli are top with 44 points but have played one game more than Inter. Venezia are second bottom with 14 points.