The absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was felt by Inter Milan in their come-from-behind 3-3 draw against AS Roma at the San Siro Sunday night, coach Jose' Mourinho said.
''We missed Ibra,'' he said. ''He's fundamental for us''.
Mourinho admitted his team were outplayed for stretches of the spectacular game and Roma could have come away with a clear win if they'd taken their chances while 3-1 up.
''It could have finished 5-1,'' he said.
But the Portuguese coach was happy to settle for the point that leaves the champs and leaders seven points clear of Juventus who beat Napoli 1-0 on Saturday.
''This is a heavy point,'' he said.
''Now we need just 29 more and the scudetto is ours''.
On the other side of Milan, AC Milan's struggles continued with a 2-1 loss at Sampdoria that left them five points behind Juve and 12 behind Inter, their titles hopes seemingly gone.
Club owner Silvio Berlusconi reiterated a denial that coach Carlo Ancelotti might lose his job but it is clear that Ancelotti must achieve Milan's minimum goal of placing third to get back into the Champions League.
Further back, Fiorentina drew 1-1 at bottom club Reggina to close to within two points of Milan while Genoa drew 0-1 at Siena to stay a point ahead of Roma.