Eder, Candreva score as Inter tops Empoli to go 4th

Milan - Eder and Antonio Candreva struck one apiece in either half as Inter moved up to fourth, 12 points behind Juventus, with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Empoli.

The San Siro victory came in the absence of Mauro Icardi, Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic.

Argentine striker Icardi and Perisic were handed two and one-game bans respectively following unsavoury incidents at the end of last week's 1-0 defeat at Juventus, where Brozovic broke his toe in a challenge with Miralem Pjanic.

Given Icardi and Perisic have scored 22 of Inter's 37 league goals this season, Nerazzurri fans had cause for concern.

But any pre-match fears were settled quickly, with Empoli 'keeper Lukasz Skorupski performing heroics to tip a Rodrigo Palacio header out from underneath the bar early on.

Inter broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, as Eder chested the ball past Skorupski at the back post after Palacio flicked on Candreva's inswinger.

Eder turned provider 10 minutes after the restart, the Brazil-born Italy striker setting up Candreva for a strike from distance that beat Skorupski at his near post.

With Inter's win and Atalanta's 3-1 result at lowly Palermo, both sides vault Lazio, who welcomes AC Milan Monday at the Stadio Olimpico in a battle between sixth and seventh in Italy's top flight.