Roma claimed a hard-earned 2-1 win away to Empoli on Monday to get back to winning ways following a couple of underwhelming results. Stadio Carlo Castellani witnessed an evenly-contested fixture, but the visitors’ individual quality eventually tipped the scales in Jose Mourinho’s favour.
After a disastrous 4-0 defeat at Udinese and an equally disturbing 2-1 Europa League loss at Ludogorets, Roma were out to restore some confidence. The same goes for Empoli, who headed into proceedings seeking their first Serie A win in 2022/23 following a sub-standard five-match winless start.
Unfortunately for Paolo Zanetti’s side, a substantial gulf in quality made the difference as Empoli suffered their second defeat in six Serie A outings (D4). Meanwhile, a hard-fought victory brought Roma back on track, helping them stay within a one-point distance of pacesetters Napoli.
Only a few minutes into the game, Paulo Dybala had a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock. The Argentine latched onto a loose ball inside the six-yard box, only to see his half-volley rattle off the left post. However, Roma continued to pour the pressure and it eventually paid off.
Dybala opened the scoring with a superb finish from outside the box. He received a bouncing ball and steered it into the top right corner of Guglielmo Vicario’s goal, leaving the Empoli keeper with no chance. Like it’s been the case on several occasions this term, Mourinho immediately retrieved his troops to defend a narrow advantage.
Empoli took control of the ball and created a couple of decent scoring opportunities but struggled for the finishing touch. At least until the 43rd minute when Filippo Bandinelli headed home a delightful cross from Petar Stojanovic to ensure a 1-1 stalemate at halftime.
But the home team seemingly ran out of steam in the second half as Roma regained control of the match. The visitors’ relentless attempt to restore the lead paid dividends midway through the second half, with talismanic striker Tammy Abraham slotting home Dybala’s inch-perfect cross to the far post.
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini had a chance to put the game to bed in the 80th minute. But the Italian midfielder hit the woodwork from the penalty spot, throwing Empoli a lifeline in this fixture. And Zanetti’s men came close to embracing it as Lazio loanee Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro smashed the ball off the near post only minutes later.
Second-half substitute Andrea Belotti then wasted another clear-cut opportunity to kill the game off as Vicario came up massive to deny him one-on-one. But in the end, Roma took home a precious three points, leaving Empoli flirting with the relegation zone.