In the key match-up of Round 17 of Serie A, third-placed Roma hosted other Scudetto contender Inter in the hope of narrowing the gap at the top the league standings to just four points.
It looked like Roma’s title challenge was well and truly on when Lorenzo Pellegrini opened the score in the 17th minute with a perfect strike from the edge of the box. But, in the second half, Inter showed why they are considered to be Milan’s closest title challengers as Conte’s men fought back to make it 2-1 thanks to two brilliant goals from Milan Skriniar and Achraf Hakimi. Roma eventually had the last say, with Gianluca Mancini scoring a superb header to earn his side one point.
Below we present our player ratings of the best and worst performers from the match.
Roma XI
Pau Lopez – 6
Despite conceding two goals, the 26-year-old Spaniard had a fine game, making several crucial saves to deny the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and Achraf Hakimi. Neither of the goals were Lopez’s fault, with the goalkeeper making 4 brilliant stops to deny the opposition.
Gianluca Mancini – 7
The 24-year-old Italian has been an integral part of Roma’s back three system this season, and today he proved his worth once again. In addition to scoring a brilliant header in the final minutes of normal time, Mancini also made some vital interceptions, including the one against Lukaku in the second half. He was outpaced by the big Belgian striker on occasion, but apart from that, had really solid 90 minutes.
Chris Smalling – 7
Perhaps Roma’s most important defender this season, he had a solid game at the heart of the back three. The former Manchester United defender was given a task to closely mark Inter’s main striker Lukaku, which he did brilliantly for the majority of the game. Besides, the Englishman made 4 interceptions, 4 clearances and blocked 2 shots.
Roger Ibanez – 6.5
Despite being the least noticeable of the back three, Ibanez had a solid game, making 3 interceptions and completing 94% of his passes.
Rick Karsdorp – 6
Roma’s right wing-back had a decent performance, often joining the home side’s attack in the advanced areas of the pitch. Karsdorp had 2 shots on target in this game, with his ninth-minute effort brilliantly parried away by Samir Handanovic.
Gonzalo Villar – 6.5
Roma’s center-midfielder from Spain was fairly anonymous for big parts of the match but played in a delightful cross which was successfully met by Mancini, resulting in Villar’s first assist of the season.
Jordan Veretout – 6
The French midfielder made a crucial challenge which started Roma’s breakaway move for the first goal and also completed an astonishing 96% of his passes in this game.
Leonardo Spinazzola – 5.5
A relatively mediocre performance from Roma’s other wing-back, who was especially poor in the offensive end of the pitch. The 27-year-old Italian completed only 1 of his 4 crosses and failed 5 dribble attempts. Besides, Spinazzola lost 6 ground duels and lacked confidence in his one-on-one defending.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 6.5
The 24-year-old scored a brilliant goal to open the score, but overall made little impact on the game. Pellegrini’s goal was his only shot throughout the 90 minutes while he also failed to create a single goal-scoring opportunity.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6
One of Roma’s best players so far this season had a relatively disappointing 90 minutes. Despite claiming his 8th assist of the season, the Armenian was not as influential as we have been accustomed to see him in the majority of the games. He also wasted a relatively good chance in the 74th minute of the match, sending the ball high over the bar.
Edin Dzeko – 5
A quiet night from Roma’s captain who had his only shot of the game blocked. However, he did contribute to his team’s opening goal by playing a lovely ball into feet of Mkhitaryan.
Roma Substitutes
Bruno Peres – N/A
Bryan Cristante – 5
He tested Handanovic with a shot on target immediately after coming on the pitch, but overall had little impact.
Borja Mayoral – N/A
Inter XI
Samir Handanovic – 6.5
A solid display from Inter’s number one, having made 6 saves in this match. Neither of the goals turned out to be his fault.
Milan Skriniar – 7
A solid display at the back by the Slovak international, who won 88% of his ground duels in this match, made 4 successful tackles and scored a brilliant headed goal to level the score.
Stefan de Vrij – 7
Solid at the back, as usual, the Dutchman dealt with Roma’s attacking threat relatively well in this game. Additionally, he made 7 clearances, most from both teams, 4 ball recoveries and 2 interceptions.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6
Inter’s left-sided center-back looked the poorest of the back three, having misplaced quite a few passes in the first half.
Achraf Hakimi – 8
Undoubtedly the man of the match performance from the Moroccan wing-back who was a constant threat down the right flank throughout the entire 90 minutes. A wonderful left-footed strike which could have been complemented with two more assists if it was not for Arturo Vidal’s poor finishing in the end.
Marcelo Brozovic – 7
Two assists in one game for the Croatian international who also made 5 key passes and was integral to Inter’s ball circulation when playing out from the back. An overall solid performance.
Nicolò Barella – 6
A relatively quiet 90 minutes from the young Italian talent who did not impact the game as much as we could have thought.
Arturo Vidal – 5.5
Vidal was the most advanced center-midfielder of the three and wasted 2 great chances created by Hakimi. Often found himself in spaces around Roma’s penalty area but none of his 4 shots ended up hitting the target.
Matteo Darmian – 5
The Italian wing-back had to be subbed off in the 34th minute due to injury. From the defensive point of view, he looked solid in the first half an hour but was a lot less adventurous going forward than his counterpart on the opposite wing.
Lautaro Martinez – 6
The Argentinian wasted a glorious chance to make it 1-1 in the 53rd minute and had several other half-chances in the first and second half. Overall, it was not the most impressive performance from Inter’s second-highest scorer this season.
Romelu Lukaku – 6
He created Inter’s best chance of the game from open play after sending a delightful low cross into the path of Martinez, but missed a glorious header in the 13th minute, as Pau Lopez managed to pull off a stunning save to deny the Belgian.
Inter Substitutes
Ashely Young – 6
He played in a couple of decent crosses and was a better option going forward than Darmian.
Ivan Perisic – N/A
Roberto Gagliardini – N/A
Aleksandar Kolarov – N/A