Inter Milan vs. AC Milan: Winners and Losers from Milan Derby

Fredy Guarin scored the only goal as Inter Milan defeated AC Milan 1-0 on Sunday at the San Siro in the first Milan derby of the Serie A season.

Following a scoreless first half, Guarin netted a superb solo strike in the 58th minute for what turned out to be the winner. Mario Balotelli, making his second debut for Milan, entered as a substitute but could not score an equalizer despite playing well.

The win maintained Inter's perfect start through three matches. Roberto Mancini's side tops the table with nine points, two ahead of Chievo Verona.

Milan, meanwhile, lost for the second time in three matches. The Rossoneri are currently 12th with three points.

Here, B/R selects winners and losers from the match.

Winner: Fredy Guarin

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Inter were the better side on the balance of play and thus deserved to win, but the Nerazzurri needed a moment of individual brilliance to break through against their bitter rivals. That moment came in the 58th minute via Fredy Guarin.

Accepting a pass from Davide Santon on the right, Guarin angled into the middle until he reached the edge of the box. From there, he curled a low shot into the bottom corner past Diego Lopez, who had no chance. It was Guarin's 15th goal in 100 Serie A appearances, and it gave Inter their first derby-day victory over Milan since 2013.

"If Fredy Guarin could pass half as well as he strikes the ball, he'd be some player," tweeted Paolo Bandini.

On this day, striking the ball well was enough. With one magical move, Guarin made the difference for his side.

Winner: Mario Balotelli

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Milan manager Sinisa Mihajlovic directed some harsh words at Mario Balotelli during the recent international break, questioning the striker's fitness following a friendly match against Serie C side Mantova FC.

"He is not in good shape and has to improve, just like all the others," Mihajlovic said of the 25-year-old, per the Daily Mail. "Otherwise he won't play."

Balotelli did play on Sunday, and while he might not have been in the best shape of his career, he did impress. Entering as a 62nd-minute substitute for Carlos Bacca, Balotelli quickly created a chance with his first touch of the game, a dangerous free kick.

The Italian international put himself in the thick of the action constantly and came close to scoring with a curling shot that struck the outside of the post in the 78th minute. Balotelli's play was direct, and he showed all the strength and skill that made him a footballing prodigy once upon a time.

So does this mean Super Mario is back? Not necessarily. While we all know how talented the player is, we've also seen him waste that talent on too many occasions over the years.

Sunday represented a good start, though, and Balotelli can only hope to build on it.

Loser: Keisuke Honda

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It's almost unfair to single out any Milan player. The Rossoneri struggled as a team to pose a consistent threat against their crosstown rivals, and the issues went beyond any one person.

But Keisuke Honda had almost no impact on the game, and we've come to expect more from the Japanese playmaker. Honda did complete more than 91 percent of his passes and create two scoring chances, although both were well outside the box.

The problem was that he simply was not involved enough, only popping up with a contribution sporadically. With Milan scuffling to create clear chances, Honda needed to do more.

Winner: Roberto Mancini

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Through three games, Roberto Mancini couldn't have asked for much more.

After beating rivals Milan on Sunday, Inter sit atop the embryonic Serie A table with nine points and a 100 percent record.

Stevan Jovetic, the club's marquee signing over the summer, didn't score this time, but he's netted three times on the young season already. Meanwhile, the squad is looking strong after a summer of wise investment.

As Richard Hall noted at ESPN FC:

"

While AC Milan have spent a lot this summer, the fact that Inter have completely regenerated their squad and ended up with a net spend of less than £5.8 million is impressive. Geoffrey Kondogbia arrived as Inter's third most expensive player ever and…the team have managed to add strength in depth.

The deals for Ivan Perisic, Adem Ljajic and Jonathan Biabiany have given them width and a plan B. While Jovetic has given them the creativity they needed, the defence has been completely overhauled and looks much more stable too.

"

The season is long, and Inter will have to keep improving if they are to remain atop the table. The defense looked sloppy at times against Milan, and the Nerazzurri scored just one goal despite creating several chances.

But it's good to be on top, and Mancini must be pleased with how the season has started.

Loser: Sinisa Mihajlovic

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Milan invested heavily in the transfer market over the summer, but the first three matches of the Serie A season have yielded two defeats and just two goals.

At a club like Milan, that means manager Sinisa Mihajlovic will be feeling the heat. Those in charge at the club expect the Rossoneri to win, especially after splashing the cash this summer.

Introducing Mario Balotelli as a second-half substitute proved a good decision, but perhaps Mihajlovic would have done better to leave Carlos Bacca in the game to partner him up top. Luiz Adriano missed at least two good chances early in the match and would have been a good candidate for a substitution, but Bacca was starting to show sparks of creativity as the game progressed.

That might be nit-picking, but Mihajlovic's margin for error will be minimal this season in Milan. After two defeats in three games, the Serbian needs to turn results around sooner rather than later.