A toothless attacking display from Inter saw them beaten 1-0 by Bologna on Sunday as Riccardo Orsolini scored to give the hosts all three points.
The Nerazzurri had four shots on target without scoring at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara as Napoli's charge towards a first Serie A title in more than two decades received yet another boost.
Musa Barrow saw an early goal disallowed for offside, though it would matter little as Orsolini fired home a 76th-minute winner to clinch victory and put another dent in Inter's already slim title hopes.
With an 18-point deficit to overturn, catching runaway leaders Napoli now looks a hugely improbable prospect for Inter and they may now have to focus on fending off the likes of Roma and Milan for second spot.
Bologna thought they were ahead after 12 minutes through a fine finish from Barrow, but a VAR review ruled the offside Nicolas Dominguez as having blocked Andre Onana's view.
The hosts continued to look the more threatening as Roberto Soriano hit the crossbar, though Lautaro Martinez should have done better when he sent a free header wide of the post.
Clear-cut chances for both teams continued to be few and far between as the game went into the break goalless, but Hakan Calhanoglu missed a golden opportunity shortly after the interval when he blazed over.
Soriano saw a shot blocked, before Edin Dzeko came off the bench to force a decent save out of Lukasz Skorupski.
The deadlock would be broken with 14 minutes to play, though, as Orsolini latched onto Jerdy Schouten's throughball before firing home his fourth goal in five matches to claim an impressive victory.
What does it mean? Drab Inter not matching Napoli's stunning form
The title race looks all but over as Napoli's closest challengers continue to falter while they march on, rattling off eight straight Serie A victories since they were beaten by Inter in early January.
The Nerazzurri looked a far cry from challengers here as they failed to score against Bologna for the first time in eight league meetings.
Inter accumulated just 1.01 xG (expected goals) to Bologna's 1.28 as Skorupski enjoyed a relatively comfortable 90 minutes between the sticks before watching Orsolini secure all three points for his team.
Orsolini the hero
In-form winger Orsolini has now been involved in six of Bologna's last seven Serie A goals as he fired them to a fifth victory in six league games.
The goal capped an impressive display from the 26-year-old, registering three shots and creating three chances as well as scoring the well-taken winner.
Ineffective Lukaku fires a blank
Romelu Lukaku managed just nine touches in the first half while also not creating any chances as he failed to provide much of a focal point for Inter.
Simone Inzaghi saw enough after 64 minutes, deciding to bring on former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko with Lukaku unable to add to his two Serie A goals this season.
Key Opta Facts:
- Bologna have won four of their past five Serie A games (L1), three of these by just a one-goal margin.
- Inter have failed to score in two consecutive away games in Serie A for their first time since April 2018 (three).
- Orsolini has been involved in 10 goals in a Serie A season for the fourth time with Bologna (seven goals and three assists in the current campaign).
- Inter have not score a single goal with their last 40 shots fired on the road in Serie A.
- The Nerazzurri have conceded at least nine shots in a Serie A first half for only the second time this season, after doing so against Milan last September (13).
What's next?
Inter host Lecce in Serie A next Sunday, while Bologna travel to Torino the following day.
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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