Substitute Arnautovic fired home on the rebound with 11 minutes to play after Lautaro Martinez had been denied by goalkeeper Jan Oblak, squeezing the ball inside the near post as Samuel Lino tried gallantly to clear off the line.
“These are my opportunities, I come in to make the difference,” Arnautovic said.
“I missed a couple and I’m happy to have scored for the people who came here to cheer, as well as for my teammates,” Arnautovic told broadcaster Mediaset.
Arnautovic and Martinez had wasted the two best chances of the game for the hosts, failing to find the target from good positions as Diego Simeone’s Atletico threatened to make it a frustrating night for the Serie A leaders.
Alvaro Morata almost nabbed an equaliser for the visitors, heading wide from six yards out late on after getting on the end of Angel Correa’s deep cross.
Inter’s players and the match officials wore black armbands and a minute’s silence was held before kick-off to honour Germany’s 1990 World Cup hero Andreas Brehme, who died at age 63 of cardiac arrest on Tuesday.
Brehme played more than 100 games for Inter, winning Serie A with the club in 1989 and the UEFA Cup two years later.
AAP
