Rodrigo Palacio put Genoa in front in the 40th minute, but there was no looking back for Inter after Giampaolo Pazzini brought them level five minutes into the second half.

Samuel Eto’s grabbed a brace before Goran Pandev and Yuto Nagatomo found the target.

Mauro Boselli’s first goal in Italian football was a mere consolation for Genoa in the last minute.

Eto’o almost set up Pazzini for the first goal in the 26th minute, but his low cross from the left was just in front of the former Sampdoria forward.

A similar move at the other end of the field saw Alberto Paloschi shoot into the side-netting before Palacio put the visitors in front in the 40th minute.

He broke into the penalty area down the right and placed his shot into the far corner beyond the reach of Julio Cesar.

Inter responded and turned the game on its head in the space of only seven minutes of the second half starting.

Pazzini brought them level in the 50th minute when he lifted Maicon’s low cross into the roof of the net from five yards and Eto’o put the Nerazzurri ahead within 60 seconds.

He pounced on a blunder by Genoa goalkeeper Eduardo, who fumbled Pandev’s shot, and accepted the gift for his 18th goal of the season.

He made it 19 six minutes later when he took advantage of another defensive error by Genoa, stealing possession from Giandomenico Mesto before dribbling past Kakha Kaladze and poking the ball inside Eduardo’s near post.

Pandev got in on the act himself in the 70th minute with Eto’o again involved, playing the ball through to Wesley Sneijder, who squared it to the Macedonian striker to give him a simple goal.

Nagatomo scored his first goal for Inter in the 84th minute to make it five for the defending champions after turning Marco Rossi and shooting into the roof of the net from 10 yards before Boselli grabbed a late consolation for Genoa with a diving header in the last minute.