Serie A leaders Inter Milan battled back from a goal down to beat city rivals AC Milan 2-1 in a thrilling derby on Sunday.

Former Inter hero Ronaldo put AC Milan ahead before goals from Julio Cruz and Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed victory for the reigning champions.

Inter's win eased some of the pain felt from their Champions League exit and maintained their 16-point lead at the top of the table.

Defeat for AC Milan ended their 15-game unbeaten league run and spoiled the day for their captain, Paolo Maldini. The 38-year-old defender, who has spent his entire career with AC Milan, was making his 600th Serie A appearance.

Second-placed Roma, who together with AC Milan succeeded where Inter failed and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, beat Udinese 3-1 at the Olympic stadium.

Roma captain Francesco Totti scored twice - a penalty and a glancing header - and set up Simone Perrotta for the other goal.

Totti's double took his tally for the season to 18 goals, the best record in Italy's top division.

Inter have 73 points, followed by Roma on 57, with just 11 games left to play.

Lazio claimed their fifth consecutive win with a 3-2 victory at struggling Reggina, taking them joint third with Palermo on 46 points, with a game in hand on the Sicilians. Palermo were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Fiorentina.

Empoli's push for a top-four finish was dealt a blow after they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to Livorno, leaving them on 42 points, two ahead of AC Milan.

The relegation scrap between Chievo and Messina ended in a 1-1 draw, while relegation-threatened Parma ended up with the same result at Atalanta.

Ascoli claimed only their third win of the season with a 1-0 victory at Siena and Torino pulled further away from the drop zone by defeating Catania by the same score.

Ronaldo, incessantly whistled and jeered by the Inter fans for walking out on the club to join Real Madrid in 2002 after they had stuck by him during a lengthy injury crisis, admitted Inter were worthy winners.

"We were better in the first half, but Inter deserved the victory," said the 30-year-old Brazil international, who joined AC Milan from Real in the January transfer window.

Asked if his goal meant more to him as it came against his former club and also silenced the hecklers, Ronaldo replied. "It was a derby, but for me it was just like another match.

"It's always a joy to score, and the fact that it happened today didn't make it any more special."

Inter coach Roberto Mancini refused to say that the title race was over, despite his team's commanding lead.

"I don't want to talk about the Scudetto, but if we keep going like this it will be an extraordinary season and, I think, unrepeatable," he said.

AC Milan went ahead against the run of play in the 40th minute.

Ronaldo had barely touched the ball before picking up a pass from Gennaro Gattuso and drilling an angled shot past Julio Cesar and into the bottom corner.

Gattuso almost gave AC Milan a two-goal cushion before Inter brought off Hernan Crespo and replaced him with Julio Cruz shortly after half time.

The Argentina international took just 11 seconds to make his mark, slamming home the loose ball after Nelson Dida could only manage to get his fingertips to Ibrahimovic's low, right-wing cross.

Cruz then returned the compliment 15 minutes from time, setting up Ibrahimovic whose angled drive eluded Dida's grasp.

(China Daily via AFP March 12, 2007)