Inter Cruise Past Parma 3-0 as Chivu Hails 'Generous' Francesco Pio Esposito
Inter 3-0 Parma: Champions Go Top at San Siro
Inter cruised to a 3-0 victory over Parma at San Siro on Saturday, moving to the top of Serie A ahead of Roma's meeting with Como on Sunday. Petar Sucic, Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcus Thuram were all on target for the reigning champions, but it was Francesco Pio Esposito who drew the post-match plaudits from head coach Cristian Chivu.
Esposito won the penalty that Calhanoglu converted and played a key role in the build-up to Thuram's goal. He created a joint-team-high two chances and won 100% of his duels (3/3), underlining a display built on graft as much as guile.
Chivu: 'Selfishness Isn't Part of His Vocabulary'
The Inter boss was effusive in his assessment of the Italian forward, highlighting his willingness to work for the collective.
"His main characteristic is generosity. Selfishness isn't part of his vocabulary," Chivu told DAZN.
"He works for the team, he works well, he counter-presses too, he reacted, and he was able to do certain things," Chivu continued.
"When you lose the ball and go and win it back, you've also done excellent mental work.
"He has room to improve. He's a lad who works hard and puts himself at the group's disposal, and the group sees him as someone who will give us an important hand, as he has so far."
A Record-Setting Start for the Nerazzurri
The result extended a notable run for Inter at the start of the campaign. According to Opta, Inter have now won their first four home Serie A matches of a season for the third time in the three-points-per-win era (since 1994-95), following 2005-06 (under Roberto Mancini) and 2017-18 (under Luciano Spalletti).
The Nerazzurri have also reached 16 points after their first six matches of a season for the fourth time in the 2000s, following 2002-03 (16), 2017-18 (16) and 2019-20 (18).
'An Unknown After Three Weeks Off'
Chivu also admitted the fixture carried an element of unpredictability following the three-week international break, which he said the squad navigated well.
"It was an unknown after three weeks off. That had never happened before, and we didn't know how it would go. But over these weeks the lads worked well," he added.
"They had enthusiasm and were keen to do certain training sessions, and those who stayed here made their contribution.
"I'm happy with the energy, the quality we showed and how quickly we adapted to the opponent, because we didn't have much information on how they might play.
"I gave minutes to those who were behind, and I'm happy to have rested those who gave a lot for their national teams."
Esposito's Growing Influence
Esposito's contribution against Parma continues a productive start to the season. A snapshot of his Serie A 2026-27 record, fetched on 11 October 2026, showed six appearances, two goals and one assist. Calhanoglu, meanwhile, was logged with four appearances and three goals in the same competition as of 10 October 2026.