Inter Milan made a strong start to their Serie A title defence on Saturday, cruising to a 4-1 victory over newly promoted Monza at home.

The Italian champions took just six minutes to open the scoring when Hakan Calhanoglu fired a powerful long-range effort into the net.

Monza, who returned to the top flight after spending last season in Serie B, restored parity in the 29th minute through Gustavo Varela.

Inter regained the lead shortly after half-time, with Piotr Zielinski scoring in the 48th minute.

Pio Esposito, who was preferred to Marcus Thuram in the starting line-up, extended Inter’s advantage eight minutes later with an inventive backheel finish from Andy Diouf’s cross.

Yann Bisseck completed the scoring in the 63rd minute as Inter comfortably secured all three points and underlined their status as favourites to retain the Scudetto.

John Stones, one of three England internationals signed by Inter during the summer transfer window, made his debut after coming on as a late substitute.

Elsewhere, last season’s runners-up Napoli were scheduled to visit Genoa later on Saturday, with new manager Massimiliano Allegri looking to make an early statement after leaving AC Milan following just one season in charge.

Milan and Juventus, both aiming to bounce back after disappointing campaigns and significant summer changes, will begin their league seasons on Sunday against Torino and Frosinone respectively.