Milan, Dec 23 (IANS): Inter Milan manager Walter Mazzarri said his side waited for AC Milan to run out of steam as they won the Milan derby 1-0 in the Italian Serie A.

Rodrigo Palacio scored the winner in the 86th minute to give Inter a win which snapped Milan's seven-match unbeaten streak Sunday, reports Xinhua.

"We conceded too many counter-attacks, so with Ricky Alvarez missing I thought it best to give a sense of security with a more solid midfield. We knew Milan couldn't keep pressing up and would inevitably run out of steam," Mazzarri said.

He revealed that he shook his side up at the interval as they were intimidated by their cross-city rivals.

"The absence of Ricky Alvarez made a big difference and Milan kept us under ferocious pressure, so we were afraid and psychologically blocked. We needed something to shake us up. We did that in the locker room at half time and then played the way I wanted us to," he said.

"The goal seemed cursed again, as we kept going close and missing the finish or the final pass, but we got there in the end."

"Unfortunately we have thrown away too many victories and therefore have four or five points less than we deserve, but looking at how we began and the project then we can't help but be satisfied," he added.