Roma held on to complete a 2-1 win over Sampdoria at the Stadio Olimpico in their Sunday evening Serie A fixture.
Alessandro Florenzi and Diego Perotti gave Roma the lead, but an own goal from Miralem Pjanic made matters more complicated.
The home sides threatened early on, the ball put into the area by Diego Perotti found Antonio Rudiger, but the German couldn’t hit the target on the turn. A headed opportunity then fell the way of Miralem Pjanic, but he sent the cross from Alessandro Florenzi into the gloves of Emiliano Viviano.
Stephan El Shaarawy was looking to make it three in three, but he lashed his shot from close range over the bar. Rudiger then came close to finding Florenzi in the box, but the wing-back just coming short of a tap in.
On the stroke of half time the Giallorossi took the lead. A deflected effort from El Shaarawy was pounced on by Florenzi who headed beyond Viviano to end the half with an advantage. In the second half the hosts wasted no time in adding another, a delightful flick from El Shaarawy around the corner found Diego Perotti, who fired home on the volley to punish his old teams rivals.
Doom and gloom it may have been, but Sampdoria were then handed a life line. A shot from Fernando outside the box took a wicked deflection off Pjanic, the ball eventually nestling beyond Wojciech Szczesny. The Polish keeper then made one final crucial save to deny substitute Antonio Cassano, the Italian put through but halted but a save at the feet of the former Roma man.
Roma move four points ahead of AC Milan, who dropped points earlier in the day, and one point behind Inter. Sampdoria remain five points adrift of Carpi and the relegation zone.
