Milan derby: Marco Guida reverses Inter penalty decision after pitchside review

A major refereeing error nearly gave Inter a route back into the Milan derby after they went into half-time 3-1 down.

In the 74th minute, as Inter searched for a second goal to reduce the deficit, Henrikh Mkhitaryan delivered a left-footed cross into the penalty area. Milan defender Mario Gila moved to intercept the ball, prompting a disputed decision from referee Marco Guida.

According to Tuttosport, Guida, who was close to the incident, believed Gila had handled the ball and immediately pointed to the spot, awarding Inter a penalty.

However, the decision stood for only a matter of moments. The VAR officials instructed Guida to review the incident on the pitchside monitor before play could restart.

The Italian newspaper described the original call as a “serious error”, saying the replay showed that Gila had cleared the ball with his chest rather than his arm.

Guida subsequently withdrew the penalty decision and restarted the match with a corner for Inter.

Milan held on to win 3-1, the same scoreline with which they had reached half-time. The victory took them to 21 points and fourth place in the table.

Inter remained on 25 points in second, level with leaders Lazio. Lazio can move clear at the top of the table if they beat Cagliari tomorrow.