Roma at least temporarily leapfrogged Milan and Atalanta into fourth place with a crushing 3-0 victory over Cagliari, including a Javier Pastore goal.
The Giallorossi were just one point behind fourth-placed Milan and Atalanta going into this weekend and eager to make the most of the favourable fixture list. Nicolò Zaniolo and Bryan Cristante sat out bans, with Daniele De Rossi, Davide Santon and Rick Karsdorp injured, but Kostas Manolas recovered from a muscular issue to start. Javier Pastore was given his first game in over a month, but he hadn’t started a Serie A match since September. Cagliari had practically secured Serie A safety and could play without pressure, though Paolo Faragò was suspended. Luca Pellegrini returned to face his parent club.
The Sardinians have not beaten Roma since a 4-2 thriller at the Olimpico in February 2013. When these sides met earlier this season, it was a remarkable 2-2 draw with Cagliari scoring the equaliser after going down to nine men against 11.
Stephan El Shaarawy had a shot on target within 32 seconds, testing Alessio Cragno at the near post after a mazy run, but the opening goal was entirely avoidable.
A corner was given away under no pressure on Alessandro Florenzi’s cross and from that set play Federico Fazio’s looping header bounced off the inside of the far post, goal-line technology confirming Cragno’s save was too late.
Moments later, Justin Kluivert controlled a long Aleksandar Kolarov ball and rolled across for Pastore, who unmarked on the edge of the box picked his spot to score with a right-foot curler.
Cagliari fought back with Leonardo Pavoletti, as Antonio Mirante acrobatically fingertipped the rising strike over the bar from a tight angle.
Pastore turned brilliantly in the box, but decided to roll across for Fazio rather than go for goal himself, while Alessandro Florenzi intercepted a Cragno clearance only to skim the near top corner.
It was so nearly 3-0 just before half-time at the end of a great move, as El Shaarawy’s dummy let the Kluivert pull-back through for Pastore, whose strike from 12 yards bounced off the underside of the crossbar.
The woodwork came to Cagliari’s rescue once again on 55 minutes, as Dzeko’s curler was heading towards the far post, but deflected off Luca Ceppitelli’s shoulder to bounce off the near upright instead.
Moments later, Kolarov pulled back from the by-line only for Lorenzo Pellegrini to fire wide from nine yards. Another Kolarov low cross wreaked havoc with Ceppitelli risking an own goal to intercept.