A week after a 3-2 scraped win over Reggina, Julio Cruz repeated the trick to bring down the Friulani 1-0 at San Siro.

“Udinese are a fine team,” said Mourinho, who celebrated controversially by telling the fans behind him to be quiet.

“They are very dangerous, but I only remember one real shot on target despite playing three strikers. We have put in better performances without winning, so it balances out.

“Our defence was criticised for conceding five goals in two games, but we were fantastic today. We struggled to score, but the match only ends at the final whistle and my team showed great character.”

Awaiting Milan’s trip to Lecce this evening, Inter are top of the Serie A table thanks to substitute Cruz bundling in a corner kick.

It was a heavy blow for Udinese, who until then had been on level terms with the Nerazzurri both on match day and in the standings.

“It is a shame, as we got distracted on the goal, but we did put in the show of maturity that everyone asked of us,” insisted Coach Marino.

“We leave San Siro with our heads held high and I cannot help but be proud of my team’s positive performance.

“[Fabio] Quagliarella played well and I am satisfied with the way all my players did today. I do not regret Antonio Di Natale’s absence, as he is an important player for us, but those who replaced him filled in admirably.”