Inter bounced back from their derby defeat in style on Sunday, beating Como 2-0 at San Siro to move up to second in Serie A and within one point of leaders Lazio.

The home side settled the match in the opening 19 minutes. Federico Dimarco won the ball back to start the move for the opener, Marcus Thuram fed Djed Spence down the right, and Spence crossed for Francesco Pio Esposito to score with a deflected shot in the 12th minute.

Thuram doubled the lead seven minutes later, beating Como goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after a cross caused hesitation in the visitors' defence. The French forward had already played a central part in the first goal, and his strike gave Inter a cushion they never looked like giving up.

It was Inter's first league match since their 3-1 loss to rivals AC Milan last week, and the response was convincing. The champions kept Cesc Fabregas's Como at arm's length for the rest of the afternoon, with Dimarco and captain Nicolo Barella influential from the early stages.

The win lifts Inter above Roma into second place in the table, one point behind Lazio, as the league heads into the international break. Como, meanwhile, were overtaken by Milan and slipped to fifth.

For Fabregas, whose side had arrived at San Siro in confident mood, it was a reminder of the gap to the champions. Inter now have the break to regroup before their next league fixture, while Como will look to recover lost ground when domestic football resumes.