Buoyed by claiming their first win of the season last time out, Bologna required just 10 minutes to catch Cristian Chivu’s side off guard at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
Juan Miranda caught Luis Henrique in possession in the Inter half, creating the opening for Tommaso Pobega to motor into the box before lashing a left-footed shot past Josep Martinez at the near post.
The Inter goalkeeper was soon required to prevent Federico Bernardeschi from adding a swift second with a fierce shot from a short free-kick.
As Inter struggled to get out of first gear, Pobega continued to pile the pressure on Martinez’s goal, drilling a long-range effort narrowly wide, shortly before rattling the crossbar.
However, the hosts were soon made to rue those missed opportunities when Marcus Thuram netted a 44th-minute equaliser completely against the run of play, towering to head in from Nicolo Barella’s pinpoint delivery.
Thuram’s fourth goal in five Serie A games gave Inter a much-needed boost and saw them start the second period with greater intensity, although Christian Chivu still felt the need to introduce Andy Diouf and Carlos Augusto with just over 20 minutes left to play.
The double substitution proved to be a masterstroke, as within a minute of the changes, Diouf slipped in Piotr Zielinski to send a low ball across the face of goal for Augusto to tap home his second Serie A goal of the season.
Ange-Yoan Bonny soon made sure of the three points, finishing first-time from Augusto’s squared ball, just moments after he had a near-post strike chalked off for offside.
As a result of the win, Inter have moved three points clear at the summit - at least for a few hours - while Raffaele Palladino’s charges remain just a point above the drop zone.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Carlos Augusto (Inter)