Inter Milan were held to a goalless draw by Roma at the San Siro, leaving the way open for Italian champions Juventus to reclaim top spot in Serie A this weekend.
Antonio Conte's side have a two-point advantage on Juventus who play Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
The match in the San Siro had been overshadowed by a racism storm after Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport's controversial "Black Friday" headline.
The front-page headline accompanied an article about the first Serie A meeting between former Manchester United teammates Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling.
On the pitch, defender Smalling and Gianluca Mancini stifled Inter's prolific strike duo Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, who between them have scored 18 of their team's goals in 15 league games this season.
Conte's side proved toothless in attack against a well-organised Roma, failing to find the net for the first time this season, days before their Champions League clash against Barcelona.
"The great merit of Roma is having stopped Lautaro-Lukaku," said coach Paulo Fonseca.
"Inter's main chances came from our mistakes, but we always played the ball with courage and that's what I want for the team.
"We did well defensively. Smalling and Mancini had a good game like the whole team, it's certainly not easy against Inter."
"I congratulate my players, even if we were wasteful, we should have sealed the three points."
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