In contrast, Inter Milan has seven rounds left. The stronger teams, such as Lazio and Fiorentina, will play against Inter Milan at home. In the second last round, they will face Napoli at San Paolo Stadium, which might be the only possible "point loss" in Inter Milan's remaining seven rounds. If Inter Milan can really get 18 points in the next seven rounds, then AC Milan must not be careless. Will this match become a turning point in Inter Milan's season? If the higher-ups of Inter Milan think that winning the championship is hopeless and shift their focus to the upcoming Champions League where the opponents are not strong, and completely list the league as the "second goal", then it is the "added value" brought by the result of AC Milan's 3-0 victory in this derby. A 5-point, or even 5.5-point gap in the standings may not seem large. Judging from the schedule, Inter Milan indeed still has opportunities, but the "internal injury" brought by the 3-0 score is heavy. Whether the competition for the Serie A championship continues largely depends on Inter Milan's ability to adjust psychologically.
After AC Milan defeated Inter Milan in the derby, their lead in the standings widened again to 5 points. Since if the Serie A championship ends in a tie, the head-to-head record rather than the goal difference is compared, factually, this 5-point advantage is actually 5.5 points, and there are only 7 rounds left. Compared to before, AC Milan's advantage has further increased.
Round 36: Roma vs AC Milan, Inter Milan vs Fiorentina
In the next seven rounds, AC Milan has three home games and four away games. Among them, the matches against Sampdoria with low morale, Bologna who have secured their safety from relegation, and Cagliari are not difficult to play. However, out of the four away games, three are tough. The opponents are Fiorentina, Roma, and Udinese. Previously, Udinese had already beaten Inter Milan 3-1 at home and performed well in the second half of the season. Roma has been AC Milan's "nemesis" in recent years, and Fiorentina is not an easy opponent either. Moreover, even Brescia's home ground, fighting for relegation, is not a place where you can easily get points. According to Allegri's statement, AC Milan needs 80 points to win the championship. Now AC Milan already has 65 points, and getting 15 points in the remaining seven rounds is not something that can be achieved easily.
However, this derby victory will be a psychological turning point for both teams. The impact of this victory and the process of winning on the psychology of AC Milan and Inter Milan is even greater than the impact on the points. Before this game, Inter Milan was unanimously favored by outsiders. While Allegri, Galliani, and others emphasized that this game was not "decisive," in fact, Inter Milan had already regarded this match as the key point for their championship bid this season. Moratti's phrase "this will be one of the most important derbies I've followed in recent years" was quite meaningful. But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment when it turns out to be futile. Whether they can regroup after such a setback is questionable. For Inter Milan to catch up in the championship race, the most crucial factor will be how they adjust psychologically.
Appendix: Schedule for Milan Derby:
Round 37: AC Milan vs Cagliari, Napoli vs Inter Milan
Nevertheless, whether it's Allegri, Leonardo, or Abbiati, Pazzini, they all mentioned after the game: the competition for the league championship is not over yet. Indeed, judging from the schedule, AC Milan's current 5.5-point advantage could easily vanish with a slip-up. From the current situation, AC Milan needs to pass through at least three "critical stages" to win the championship.
Round 35: AC Milan vs Bologna, Cesena vs Inter Milan
Round 34: Brescia vs AC Milan, Inter Milan vs Lazio
Round 32: Fiorentina vs AC Milan, Inter Milan vs Chievo
Round 33: AC Milan vs Sampdoria, Parma vs Inter Milan
Round 38: Udinese vs AC Milan, Inter Milan vs Catania