Parma coach Roberto D'Aversa insists they matched Inter Milan during last night's 2-1 defeat.

The Ducali pushed Inter hard after they had jumped to a 2-0 lead via a Alexis Sanchez brace.

“We finished in their half and did very well in the first hour too, so Parma certainly weren't embarrassed by the Serie A leaders," D'Aversa told Sky Italia.

“The regrets are that they scored with basically our accidental pass and then a conceptual error on the counter, which we shouldn't have done, knowing how good Conte is on the counter-attack.

“The fact we played on level terms with the Serie A leaders should give us more confidence, but on the other hand we continue to make these banal errors. If we avoid them, then we can get much better results.

“There were situations in our favour that we didn't make the most of, as we had the first real shot on goal and forced a Samir Handanovic save.

“We must learn from Inter, because if players like Romelu Lukaku put in that determination and work-rate, then ours ought to follow that example. It's just a pity that we play on level terms with the leaders and still go home empty-handed.

“In our last three games, we've always finished with a crescendo and that suggests good fitness levels too. If we analyse the goals, then we should be bringing home full results, but we make avoidable mistakes.

“We should've done better especially with the second goal, but some of our players don't have that sense of impending danger. When Inter get the ball and run into open space, they are devastating."