Under-pressure Inter Milan boss Rafael Benitez hinted at dipping into the January transfer market after watching his injury-hit side lose to city rivals AC Milan last night.

Inter, who claimed the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League treble under Jose Mourinho last season, are now six points off the pace in Serie A and looking devoid of confidence.

Benitez said: "Six points from the top is not good, but the championship is long. We need to regroup straight away and improve in Verona (against Chievo next weekend). It is obvious that in January we will need something, but for now we need to get a win.

"Who could arrive in the next transfer window? All the players expect someone of quality to maintain the level of the side, a side that in the past season won a lot and therefore got tired and has struggled to start again."

It is obvious that in January we will need something, but for now we need to get a win.
Rafael Benitez, Inter Milan coach

A penalty from former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the fifth minute was enough to decide a game which Milan ended with ten men after Ignazio Abate was sent off on the hour mark. But Benitez was angry the visitors were not disadvantaged further, with a the first-half dismissal for combative midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

He told Mediaset: "Gattuso made three fouls of the same nature after having already been booked, but we lost the game. We don't want to latch onto this episode, but they were clearly three bookable offences in a short period of time. Had he been sent off in the first half the game would have become immediately the one it was in the second.

"Our opponents committed a lot of fouls, when that happens it is always difficult, we tried to control the game, but it was difficult. Then, when we had the extra man we tried and tried again, we were lacking a bit of patience in the build up play."

Inter president Massimo Moratti was less than impressed with his side's display and threatened changes. He told Sky: "I didn't really like anything, not just the build-up which was poor. We did not do enough to deserve the win. It would seem difficult to go on like this. I don't think we suffered Milan's play, it seems more to me that we didn't play."