Roma fought tooth and nail to eke out a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina in a feisty Serie A contest at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. Heading into this fixture, Jose Mourinho had enjoyed a seven-game winning home streak in all competitions and looked in a prime position to consolidate their top-four bid.
However, it wasn’t meant to be, even though Romelu Lukaku’s fifth-minute opener catapulted Roma to a dream start. Mourinho’s defensive-minded football cast a shadow on the home side’s performance, while Paulo Dybala’s fresh injury concern landed a killing blow on their hopes of building on Lukaku’s opener.
Despite weathering a first-half storm, things went from bad to worse for under-pressure Roma when Nicola Zalewski picked up a second yellow just after the hour mark. It took Fiorentina only two minutes after the Poland international’s expulsion to level the score. Christian Kouame whipped in a perfect cross, with Lucas Martinez Quarta’s glancing header finishing in the bottom corner.
A moment of madness from Lukaku made Mourinho’s life unattainable as the game approached the final stretch. The Belgian’s mindless challenge on Koumae earned him a straight red with around ten minutes left on the clock. Luckily for Roma, Vincenzo Italiano’s side failed to take advantage of being two men up, helping Giallorossi narrowly keep hold of fourth place.
Roma (3-5-2)
Rui Patricio – 7.5
A superb performance from the veteran goalkeeper as he made numerous crucial saves on either side of halftime.
Diego Llorente – 7.5
Despite picking a late yellow for a tactical foul on M’Bala Nzola, the Spaniard maintained his outstanding form, plugging all the holes at the back and proving unbeatable in the air.
Gianluca Mancini – 6.5
Impressive in aerial duels before losing track of Martinez Quarta while having numerous nervy moments that could’ve cost Roma dearly, only for Llorente to bail him out.
Evan Ndicka – 6
Put through his paces by the lightning-quick Jonathan Ikone, even though the Frenchman wasn’t at the races. Came off second-best one too many times for Mourinho’s appetites.
Nicola Zalewski – 3
Not much use at either end of the field, losing his concentration and nerve too often, which inevitably led to an unnecessary expulsion when Roma were fighting for their lives.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 6.5
Did his defensive duties to his usual high standard and tried to accelerate his side’s attacking moves in the front third, but didn’t have the ball enough to make his offensive skills stand out.
Leandro Paredes – 6.5
Another electrifying defensive showing from the Argentine, who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty to prevent Fiorentina’s fast breaks.
Bryan Cristante – 6
Worked his socks off to provide an extra layer of cover to his backline but was completely useless when Roma were trying to build from the back.
Rasmus Kristensen – 6
Expectations were high following a match-winning performance at Sassuolo, but the Leicester City loanee wasn’t nearly effective tonight.
Paulo Dybala – 6.5
Served Lukaku on a plate for Roma’s opener and was the mastermind behind his side’s every attacking movement before being forced off with another injury.
Romelu Lukaku – 5
Added to his ever-growing home tally with a routine finish and lent out a massive helping hand in the build-up, constantly dropping deep to hold off the ball under pressure. Blew everything up with a cynical tackle on Kouame.
Substitutes
Sardar Azmoun – 5
Too slow and ineffective since replacing Dybala before picking up an injury of his own.
Stephan El Shaarawy – 6.5
Perhaps the only Roma player to have shown a genuine ambition to do something on the opposition half since coming on.
Edoardo Bove – N/A
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