Pacesetters Inter and Roma both held

MILAN, Oct 22 (Reuters) Serie A leaders Inter Milan were held to a 0-0 draw at Udinese today but second-placed AS Roma failed to make up ground as they drew 1-1 at home to Chievo Verona.

Inter lead on 15 points with Roma on 13 and Udinese, Atalanta, Livorno and Palermo are all on 12 points.

Roma needed an equaliser from Francesco Totti to avoid an embarrassing defeat at home to Chievo who had taken the lead through Sergio Pellissier.

Atalanta produced a great comeback from two goals down to beat Sampdoria 3-2 -- Cristiano Doni scoring twice from the penalty spot for the Bergamo club before Riccardo Zampagna's 89th-minute winner.

AC Milan were facing Palermo at the San Siro stadium later today.

Inter, defending champions after they were handed last season's title by a sports tribunal investigating match-fixing allegations, were unable to find a way through at Udinese.

Inter coach Roberto Mancini left out Brazilian striker Adriano who has been given time off by the club to help recover his form.

Despite the impressive performances of Alvaro Recoba and Julio Ricardo Cruz in the midweek Champions League win over Spartak Moscow, Mancini handed Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hernan Crespo the starting roles in attack.

After a low-key first-half, Inter had the better of the game with Ibrahimovic twice forcing good saves out of Udinese keeper Morgan De Sanctis.

Udinese's Italy international striker Vicenzo Iaquinta wasted the best chance of the game, screwing wide from a promising position.

''We played very well after the break, we just lacked a goal and we could have taken all three points,'' said Inter coach Mancini.

Chievo coach Luigi Del Neri, back on the bench of the Verona side after returning to the club in midweek, will have taken some satisfaction out of holding his former charges Roma at the Olympic stadium.

After Totti had an early effort ruled out for offside, Chievo's Pellissier exposed a lack of pace in the Roma defence, bursting through the middle before rounding keeper Doni and slotting home five minutes before the break.

Totti equalised from close range after the Chievo defence had failed to clear a corner.

Both sides later had goals ruled out.

Daniele De Rossi hit the bar for Roma and although Christian Panucci put the rebound in the net he was ruled to be offside and then Chievo's Simone Tiribocchi's delightful lob was also disallowed.

REUTERS AB BST2222