Inter Milan 5 Chievo 0: In-form Ivan Perisic scores hat-trick to fire rampant Nerazzurri top of Serie A
Croat winger showed exactly why Jose Mourinho wanted to sign him so desperately last summer with a deserved brace
UNDEFEATED Inter Milan fired a warning shot to their title rivals with an emphatic 5-0 win over Chievo.
Manchester United's summer transfer target Ivan Perisic scored a stunning hat-trick as Mauro Icardi and Milan Skriniar put Chievo to the sword.
It means the sleeping Italian giants are enjoying their best ever Serie A start with 39 points from their opening 15 matches - with a trip to Turin to face Juventus up next.
Following Napoli's defeat to the Old Lady on Saturday, manager Luciano Spalletti knew three points would send them top of the pile.
And after an early scare when keeper Samir Handanovic was called into action to keep out a powerful header, Inter needed just 23 minutes for Perisic to fire them ahead.
Davide Santon hit a powerful effort but keeper Stefano Sorrentino parried the ball straight into the path of Perisic who hammered it home first time.
The floodgates threatened to open and 15 minutes later Icardi continued his wonderful goalscoring form when his right footed effort found the bottom corner.
It was the 24-year-old's 16th goal of the season and remarkably his 97th in Serie A.
Perisic then made it three with a tidy finish on 57 minutes before defender Skriniar got in on the action when he scored with the simplest of headers following Antonio Candreva's cross.
Perisic then grabbed his third of the match in the final few seconds when he pounced on a lose ball in the box and rub further salt in Chievo's wounds.
In truth, Inter could have had three or four more as Joao Mario and Marcelo Brozovic spurned glorious opportunities.