Sassuolo 3-1 Inter Milan

Inter were 12 points off the top when Mancini was appointed in November; it is now a 23-point gap

Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini admits his team are a bit "fragile" after suffering a 3-1 defeat at Sassuolo.

Inter won 7-0 when the sides met in the autumn, and beat them by the same scoreline in last season's away game.

Simone Zaza and Nicola Sansone gave the hosts a 2-0 half-time lead and, after Mauro Icardi pulled one back, Domenico Berardi sealed it in the 90th minute.

"The team is clearly a bit fragile as we suffer at the first sign of difficulty," Mancini said.

"We commit too many mistakes. Nothing's going right for us at the moment, so we need to improve.

"We've improved in terms of our possession but we definitely need something more in the final third. It's all going a bit wrong for us at the minute and the lads are down as a result.

"But that's a football match for you - it can all change in an instant. The result is all that matters, but the defeat shouldn't change our approach."

Both teams ended the game with 10 men after Sassuolo striker Sansone and Inter defender Isaac Donkor were dismissed late in the game.

Sansone, who was already on a yellow card, was sent off after bringing down Inter midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri.

Donkor, also with a booking against his name, was dismissed for a foul on Sassuolo striker Zaza, and Berardi slotted home the subsequent penalty.

Inter - who hired Mancini for his second spell in November - are down to 12th, with Sassuolo - in only their second top-flight season - overtaking them by moving up to eighth.

"Sometimes there can be discord between the fans and the team, but I hope we can sort that out because we need our supporters," former Manchester City boss Mancini said.