Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini admitted relief after their 2-1 win over Cagliari.

Mateo Kovacic and Mauro Icardi struck the goals for Inter in their 2-1 win.

"If we don't make things difficult for ourselves, then we wouldn't be Inter!" he laughed on Sky Sport Italia.

"We had the chance to score twice in the first half and failed. We went in front, then Longo came on and did very well. He used Juan Jesus' body to turn and deserves applause for a great goal.

"In the 10 minutes after that goal, anything could've happened. It was wide open and after 65 minutes we should've been well in control.

"When 2-0 up it's possible the team relaxed a little, especially with three intense games per week and not much squad rotation.

"Up until 2-0 we controlled possession perfectly, but then Cagliari pressed and we got too stretched out, the defence was too deep and that left gaps between the lines.

"The first half was extraordinary and we only lacked a goal, despite having four or five really good chances."