Roberto Mancini says Inter Milan didn't merit loss to Napoli

A frantic final minute that saw two Inter Milan equalising attempts strike the post will do little to appease the manager, as Roberto Mancini has come out to lament a result he says his side deserved to win.

The 2-1 defeat to Napoli sent the I Ciucciarelli to the top of Serie A, vaulting above the visitors in one of the most hotly contested Scudetto chases in years, as four points separate first and fourth.

Despite only slipping a point behind Napoli, Inter boss Mancini regrets the outcome of Monday's fixture at the San Siro.

"I think it was a wonderful game apart from the first 15 minutes, as we made a mistake," the former Manchester City boss said post-match, courtesy of ESPN FC.

Napoli attacked from the outset, with striker Gonzalo Higuain giving the visitors a second-minute advantage when the Argentine international pounced on a loose ball in the area before firing it past Samir Handanovic.

"After that it was a balanced encounter, Napoli didn't cause that many problems considering they are one of the favourites for the Scudetto," Mancini said.

Matters escalated from bad to worse for Mancini's men in the 44th minute, when defender Yuto Nagatomo was brandished a second yellow card.

"Unfortunately the red card was absurd. It was an error from the referee, because the first yellow card was Jose Callejon simulating," he said. "The second Nagatomo could've been more careful and shouldn't have gone in like that.

"In a game like this, you can't book a player in Napoli's midfield, it wasn't a scoring opportunity or anything."

Not typically one to falsely criticize officiating as an excuse for his side's performance, Mancini held nothing back when discussing the referee.

"The problem also is that Gary Medel and Felipe Melo were on a yellow card and Geoffrey Kondogbia injured," Mancini said. "Seeing as we get booked for sneezing nowadays, I preferred to keep an important player on the bench rather than risk losing both to a ban. I have to think of the next games too.

"Even down to 10 men, we only really risked on the Napoli counter. That too should give us confidence going forward. It was a difficult match, one we absolutely did not deserve to lose. We can build on that."