Inter Milan drew level on points with Udinese following a 3-1 victory Wednesday afternoon at the Stadio Friuli as the battle for places in Europe intensified.
Danilo gave Udinese the lead in the sixth minute, but two goals from Wesley Sneijder turned the game in Inter's favour before Ricardo Alvarez added another before the break.
The result was harsh on the home side, who did all of the attacking, but just failed to turn their dominance into goals as Inter drew level in the table with five clubs now vying for third place.
Udinese got off to a flying start with Antonio Floro Flores creating their first chance in the fourth minute when he stole the ball off Andrea Ranocchia, but failed to provide a good enough cross for Antonio Di Natale.
Two minutes later, Di Natale set up Danilo to put Udinese in front with a powerful shot off the inside of the near post from just outside the penalty area.
Kwadwo Asamoah volleyed wide of the post as the home side searched for a second goal to complement their domination.
Inter broke and, with their first shot of the game, levelled.
Sneijder's shot from the edge of the penalty area seemed harmless enough, but it took a strange second bounce in front of Samir Handanovic and the ball squeezed through the Udinese goalkeeper's arms on its way in.
While the Dutchman got lucky with his first goal, his second was a touch of class.
He chipped the ball over Handanovic with Danilo unable to make a goal line clearance after Diego Milito picked out the unmarked Dutchman.
Ten minutes later, Alvarez provided the finish to another Inter counter-attack, cutting first left and then back onto his right foot before beating Handanovic with a low shot which went in off the far post.
The home side started the second half like the first with Floro Flores breaking, but Lucio and Nagatomo both got back to put him off before he could get in a shot.
It was clearly not Udinese's day as they had their second penalty appeal of the day - the first for a handball from Yuto Nagatomo in the first half - turned down by referee Luca Banti when Di Natale went down on the very edge of the area under a challenge from Lucio in the 63rd minute.
Floro Flores was denied by a reflex save from Julio Cesar in the last 10 minutes with the ball just not wanting to go in for Francesco Guidolin's side, who failed to take advantage of Lazio's defeat to Novara and remain three points adrift of third place.
