Mancini: 'Clear penalty denied' for Inter against AC Milan

Alex had a goal ruled offside in the first half, while Inter saw a Philippe Mexes own goal scrubbed off because of a Rodrigo Palacio shove in the build-up.

“I am consoled by the way we played in the first 20 minutes and the entire second half. It’s a shame we didn’t win, but we can do nothing else,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

The Nerazzurri also had penalty appeals for a Luca Antonelli handling offence, although Hernanes struck it from point-blank range.

“It was a totally clear penalty. Completely clear. The referee saw perfectly well last week on Guarin’s handball, he considered that voluntary, so why not this one? I haven’t complained at all for 20 matches, but the last two we’ve had a few things against us. I don’t mean the disallowed goal, as I saw the replay and it was definitely a Palacio foul.

“We tried to win from start to finish and didn’t manage it. Milan defended well and were fortunate in some circumstances. When things go like that, you can’t do anything about it. I hope next year it will be different. I hope all the bad luck, the penalties not awarded, etc can go our way next season.”

Mancini surprisingly gave 18-year-old Assane Gnoukouri his full Serie A debut, having previously played only 12 minutes as a substitute.

“Milan sat back and went on the counter a couple of times, so it was hard for us to find space. We only struggled for 20 minutes before the break when we were slow closing them down on the left.”

Mateo Kovacic played wide in a three-man midfield, so has he finally found his position?

“I thought he did well tonight. Being so young, he needs to learn the timing of when to go, when to stick, when to pass and when to run. This will come with time. He has the talent to play in many different roles, so if we are lacking certain figures then he can fill in.”

Mancini had said repeatedly he wanted to push for third place, but they now look unlikely to qualify for Europe at all.

“A Coach who arrives in November is going to make mistakes and take time to learn about his squad. Even with that, I thought we’d have six or seven more points by now so we’d be able to push for third place. It’s partly my fault, partly the team took a while to understand my ideas and partly really bad luck that saw us lose some incredible games.”

Pippo Inzaghi insists Milan tried everything to win the derby and have regrets over their first half chances.

Both sides had goals disallowed in the 0-0 Derby della Madonnina, a point apiece which does precious little for either team.

Inter had strong penalty appeals for a Luca Antonelli handling offence, though Hernanes appeared to kick it on to his arm.

“They were very close, I think it was involuntary. It’s true we’ve seen penalties given for less, but I generally wouldn’t give a penalty for that,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.

“I expected more in that period from the 20th minute to half-time, when we had a lot of possession, moved well down the wings and had several chances. We should’ve scored.

“My team gave its all, both sides tried to win it and we know the derby weighs heavily on a campaign. We could’ve won, we could’ve lost, so in the end the draw is the right result. If we lost out on our targets, it certainly wasn’t because of this game, but rather the results in January when we had an injury crisis. We must battle it out with everyone and be more present in the box when the crosses do come in.”

President Silvio Berlusconi said only a victory would take Milan out of the crisis, so what does this 0-0 reflect?

“We had two very difficult months and since the game with Fiorentina I think we’ve been playing well. Of course we cannot think of never being under pressure, but we will fight it out for every game for the rest of the season and end it in a dignified manner.”

Inzaghi now has to work on the future – assuming he will still be there – and transforming the current squad.

“At the end of the season we will evaluate. I’ve been here for a while now and think I’ve got the hang of many situations. Let us also not forget we’ve played almost the whole season without Riccardo Montolivo, who is our captain, an Italy international and a leader, as well as a figure whose characteristics are not reflected in the other players.

“I threw on Alessio Cerci and Mattia Destro, so I tried to win with all the weapons in our armory. There was a period before the break when we should’ve scored, as we had numerous chances and were consistently pushing them down the right. After the break we got too stretched out, but it’s not as if we didn’t go out there looking for the victory.”

Suso was given his first Serie A start this evening, although he arrived from Liverpool in January.

“Suso did very well tonight. I saw him improving a great deal in recent weeks and I knew with the diamond midfield we’d create superiority in that area. I think he was a great signing, he’s also a very professional player and you can see he wants to learn.”

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