Topics: Serie A, Internazionale, Cagliari, Udinese, Milan, Atalanta
The nerazzurri are now the best team in the league thanks to a winning streak that has seen them rise from third to first in less than a month.

There is a new leader in the Italian Serie A following Inter's rise to the top spot. Simone Inzaghi's men returned to the place they owned for only one week, and with only two matches left in the year, the nerazzurri could end 2021 as the best team in the Italian top-flight.

Out of those behind the leaders, only Atalanta were able to add three more points to their tally, which helped them reduce the gap between them and the leaders. The most disappointing result for those at the top came for Napoli, who ended up dropping points against Empoli, who are now four games unbeaten in the Italian league.

Here's how things look like in the Italian top-flight after what turned out to be one interesting weekend full of games.

Who are the top five Serie A teams after Matchday 17?

Inter are now at the top with fourty points, one more than Milan who drew their clash against Udinese. Atalanta are now third after taking a convincing win against Hellas Verona. Napoli, who led the league for twelve weeks in a row, are now down to fourth place following their loss to Empoli, and the top five is completed by Fiorentina, who claimed an emphatic victory over Salernitana earler in the weekend.

Serie A top 3 scorers

Dusan Vlahovic continues to dominate the league's goalscoring charts after adding a brace to his successful tally this weekend. Ciro Immobile now trails the Serbian ace by two goals, especially after not being able to help Lazio beat Sassuolo. The third spot in this ranking goes to Giovanni Simeone, who scored one more goal this weekend in Verona's defeat to Atlanta.

Serie A – Top headlines

  • Inter set new record in Cagliari victory - The nerazzurri are now top of the league with one of th most prolific attacks in the Serie A, and if their tactics were not enough to get them there, the team secured a new franchise record by taking a whopping 15 shots on goal against Cagliari. The team had never taken that many shots on goal in their successful history.

  • Lautaro reaches personal milestone with brace against Cagliari - One of the keys to Inter's success is none other than Lautaro Martínez, who has found the way to score in each of his last four games with the nerazzurri. Lautaro's streak is the longest for him since he joined the Serie A side back in 2018.

  • Zlatan joins elite goalscorers' list with last-gasp goal against Udinese - The Swedish ace saved Milan in their trip to Udine with a late goal, which represented his 300th goal in one of Europe's top-five leagues. Those numbers saw Zlatan becoming the third player to score 300 or more goals in the 21st Century in Europe's most relevant leagues, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in that department.

Top matches to watch in Serie A on December 17-19, 2021

Salernitana vs Inter: Inter will want to continue with their unbeaten run in the competition and keep the top spot all to themselves in this game, where Salernitana will be looking for their third win of the season. The game should give Inter no problems, but the hosts' desperation to win points to avoid relegation could give the league leaders some problems this Friday.

Atalanta vs Roma: Gian Piero Gasperini's men will host the up and coming Roma in what should be a fun match to witness this next weekend. The blue and black team enter this game after nabbing a franchise record for away games, while Roma returned to winning ways after losing two in a row without even being able to score. Roma have a chance to make it back to the top five with a win here, but that might be easier said than done for Mourinho's men at Gewiss Stadium.

Milan vs Napoli: This could be one of the best matches of the league, as both sides are very much involved in the title race. Napoli have slipped behind due to some unfortunate results, and Milan's struggles have seen them win only twice in their last six games. It is safe to say that this match could mean the world for both teams in the ongoing season, which is why we will not cease to emphasize why you really need to watch this game.

*Keep track of all the activity in the Italian top-flight by following our dedicated Serie A competition page.