Inter cruised to a 2-0 win at Verona thanks to goals from Rodgrigo Palacio and Jonathan in the Italian Serie A football.
Walter Mazzarri's men were denied by the crossbar in the early stages, but Palacio, who put pen to paper on the new deal Friday, soon tapped home from close range to give Inter a deserved lead in the 13th minute Saturday, reports Xinhua.
The visitors at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi seemed happy enough to sit on that one-goal advantage, with clear-cut opportunities sparse for much of the Serie A encounter, but Jonathan found the back of the net three minutes after the hour mark to make sure of the three points.
Inter's run of six games unbeaten has now seen them climb to fourth and two points clear of Fiorentina, who face Chievo on Sunday, while Verona - without a win in six home matches - lost further ground in the chase for a UEFA Europa League berth.
Mazzarri praised his side's mentality and Hernanes' impact on the team.
"We talk about the way we always have done, that every game has to be played the same way whether home or away, then at the end we'll see where we are. That's the objective for this season," he said.
"I've tried to drill into these players from the start that they must go for the win from the very beginning and maintain the same mentality no matter where they are playing," he said.
"In the past when we've taken the lead, we have settled down and the players know I don't want them to have that attitude when the game is still open. I therefore told them to act as if it was still 0-0," he added.
He also gave credit to Hernanes who hit the bar with a wonderful free kick.
"If we wanted him, it's because the club asked me who could be useful and I'd already asked for him at Napoli. I always liked this player and I think he can do even better, as he's not at 100 per cent yet. He keeps calm and controls the ball with characteristics we had been lacking," he said.
Verona's head coach Andrea Mandorlini laughed off suggestions of a crisis following his side's loss to Inter.
"Of course I was disappointed, as the team is playing and the results just don't come," he said.
"Crisis? We have 40 points, so it's hardly a crisis. We had prepared this match in a certain way, it can happen to lose to Inter," he said.
"We have belief in what we are doing and tested out some players who hadn't been here in a while, but I'd say overall it has been more than positive for a side that was in Serie B last season," he added.
