Roma 3-0 Sassuolo: Hermoso leads the way as Roma close in on Lazio

Roma went into the game depleted. Dybala was among the absentees and Devis Vásquez, the back-up goalkeeper, started in goal. Opposite them, former Roma player Alberto Aquilani had set up with a back three.

Roma dominated possession at first without finding a way through, and Sassuolo's block held for almost half an hour.

The breakthrough came from a defender. In the 27th minute, Hermoso carried the ball forward from midfield, exchanged passes with Malen, took the return and drove it into the net with a powerful strike. Three minutes later, a Malen shot that had not been well struck was deflected by Idzes and then by Walukiewicz, and Murić was left wrongfooted: 2-0 in the 30th minute.

The second half could have been heavier still. Malen kept looking for his goal, in vain. Roma finally killed the game off in the 58th minute: Mora combined with Malen and finished with a right-footed cross-shot, just inside the far post. The Roma substitutes, Castro among them, could not find a fourth.

Twenty-eight shots to six

The imbalance shows everywhere. Roma had 65% of possession, played 714 passes to 386 and won 12 corners to one. They had 28 shots, 25 of them from inside the box, with 9 on target. Sassuolo attempted only six shots and put just one on target. Expected goals tell the same story: 3.47 for the hosts, 0.3 for the visitors. Murić made five saves, Vásquez just one. The match was played without a single card.

A burst, a deflection, a one-two

Three goals, three different routes. Hermoso opened the scoring by surging forward from midfield, a rare sight for a centre-back. The second owed plenty to luck, with two deflections on a Malen shot. The third was the best constructed: a one-two between Mora and Malen, finished with a cross-shot. Malen did not score, but he touched the ball in all three moves.

Roma dominate even with a second-string side

SNA verdict: with a reshuffled side, a back-up goalkeeper and several key players in the treatment room, Roma still monopolised the ball and smothered their opponents. Their defenders even made their weight felt up front: Hermoso scored, and Balerdi had four shots, two of them on target. The only regret was efficiency. With 28 shots, the tally could have climbed well beyond three goals.

For Sassuolo, the verdict is harsh. Aquilani's side managed only one shot on target in 90 minutes and never threatened in the opposition box, with just three shots from there. Five defeats in a row, a goal difference of -13: the back three solved nothing.

Aquilani changes early, Gasperini manages

Aquilani reacted at the break, withdrawing Matić and Cinquegrano for Bowie and Van der Brempt. In the 66th minute, Gasperini replaced Mora and Koné with Pisilli and de Roon, then Malen and Hermoso with Castro and Koulierakis in the 77th. Ghilardi took Balerdi's place in the 85th. For the visitors, Lipani and Adžić came on in the 69th, and Candé replaced Ćaleta-Car in the final seconds.

Ndicka flawless, Sulemana works hard

Ivorian Evan Ndicka held Roma's defence together for 90 minutes, completing 86 passes, with two key passes and three duels won out of five. Sassuolo managed only one shot on target all evening. SNA rating: 7.5.

At the other end, Ghanaian Ibrahim Sulemana played the whole match in Sassuolo's midfield. Three tackles, four duels won out of nine and one shot off target: plenty of effort, but few useful balls in a side starved of possession (SNA rating: 6.5). Guinea-Bissau's Fali Candé played only the final seconds.

Second, a point behind Lazio

Roma have 27 points after eleven rounds and move up to second place, one point behind Lazio, who have a game in hand and travel to Naples on Sunday. Inter, third with 25 points, also play on Sunday. Sassuolo remain seventeenth with 8 points and five straight defeats.

SNA man of the match: Mario Hermoso

The Spanish defender unlocked a tight game with a run launched from midfield and finished with a powerful strike. He also won nine duels out of ten, made three tackles and played 64 passes in 77 minutes, before giving way to Koulierakis. SNA rating: 9.