Viola win ensure Garcia’s side move five points clear.
After eight weeks of drama, entertainment and controversy, the one consistent factor of the Serie A season thus far is that Roma have established a winning habit.
The Giallorossi kicked off the weekend’s action on Friday night, as they hosted fellow Scudetto contenders Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Despite the usual pre-game comments playing down the importance of the game, it was another vital test passed by Rudi Garcia’s men.
Despite losing talismanic captain Francesco Totti to injury early on, the hosts stuttered momentarily as the home faithful grew impatient. However, a brace from Miralem Pjanic eventually settled the frustration as the Romans march on with their 100 per cent record still in tact.
Having put distance between themselves and their rivals ahead of the remaining fixtures, reigning champions Juventus couldn’t respond as they collapsed in a memorable game in Florence on Sunday afternoon.
After taking a commanding two-goal lead and effectively cruising after dominating proceedings for 70 minutes, Antonio Conte’s side somehow found themselves 4-2 down against Fiorentina after a thrilling comeback which saw four goals scored in 15 minutes.
Giuseppe Rossi was the main protagonist of the turnaround, and his hat-trick will not only have delighted those at the Stadio Franchi, but a number of Italians hoping to see him seal his place at the World Cup next summer.
For the Bianconeri, the defeat gives further justification to the critics and this was arguably the first time that they have collapsed so spectacularly under the Conte regime.
Nevertheless, they will be expected to bounce back in Madrid this week, before Conte will demand a domestic response at home to Genoa next weekend.
Elsewhere, there was a vital win for AC Milan as they dealt with various absentees and also recorded a much-needed clean sheet.
Young Brazilian goalkeeper Gabriel was handed the responsibility of marshalling the defensive line along with Matias Silvestre, and the two debutants delivered impressive performances and added solidity to Massimiliano Allegri’s defence.
However, there was a managerial casualty this weekend with Rolando Maran being sacked by Catania, while speculation on Sunday had suggested that Lazio boss Vladimir Petkovic had resigned.
While those rumours have been quashed for now, it remains to be seen how the situation develops over the coming weeks.
Alberto Gilardino and Jorginho bagged braces for Genoa and Hellas Verona respectively as they led their team-mates to victories, while Inter Milan secured a 3-3 draw away at Torino despite seeing Samir Handanovic receive his marching orders after just five minutes.
Serie A Results: Roma 2-0 Napoli; Cagliari 2-1 Catania; AC Milan 1-0 Udinese; Atalanta 2-1 Lazio; Fiorentina 4-2 Juventus; Genoa 2-1 Chievo; Hellas Verona 3-2 Parma; Livorno 1-2 Sampdoria; Sassuolo 2-1 Bologna; Torino 3-3 Inter Milan.
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