Nikola Moro set the tone early on, forcing Yann Sommer into a fine save to tip his effort onto the post before his mishit volley set up Santiago Castro, who slotted past the goalkeeper inside 15 minutes – a goal that ended Inter’s clean sheet streak in the league which dated back to early December.
The Nerazzurri wasted no time responding, as Denzel Dumfries soon pounced on Lukasz Skorupski’s fumbled save from Federico Dimarco’s strike to restore parity.
Coming into this match with a league-high 23 first-half goals to their name this campaign, the hosts soon turned the game on its head, although Sommer had to first pull off a brilliant two-handed save from Jens Odgaard’s header.
Dimarco was once again at the heart of play, setting up Lautaro Martinez, who rifled a perfect finish into the net from inside the box before the break.
Vincenzo Italiano’s men faced intense pressure after the restart, with Skorupski on high alert following efforts from Martinez and Dimarco.
However, Bologna struck back against the run of play just after the hour mark, as Riccardo Orsolini threaded a clever pass to Emil Holm, whose deflected strike off Alessandro Bastoni found the left corner, setting the stage for a thrilling finale.
The Rossoblù grew in confidence with the leveler, but with Dumfries wreaking havoc on the right flank, the home crowd still held some hope for a winner.
However, neither side ultimately emerged with the goods, although Italiano will be relieved to halt the Nerazzurri’s pursuit of a seventh successive Serie A success. Bologna now remain without a win in three top-flight outings.
The draw stalls the reigning champions’ push for the top spot, keeping them three points behind Antonio Conte’s Napoli, albeit with a game in hand.