How often have we seen Roma waste chances to climb up the table after their rivals lost points earlier in the round? We don’t have an exact figure, but for your sanity, I don’t suggest running the numbers. With visions of Fiorentina dancing on Roma’s Champions League graves filling our heads, many Giallorossi supporters spent Monday afternoon hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
It could have been Nicolo Fagioli having the match of his life, or David de Gea dialing back the clock by 10 years
and turning in a 12-save performance to break Roma’s heart. It honestly wouldn’t have mattered because we’ve seen this club squander so many opportunities to get a leg up over the years—nothing would have been surprising and no fate too cruel.
But a funny thing happened at the Olimpico yesterday. With the front-office drama behind them and the likes of Wesley, Paulo Dybala, and Manu Koné returning to the fold, Roma ran roughshod over Fiorentina, humiliating their purple-clad paesans in a 4-0 laugher. Thanks to that dominating performance, the Giallorossi are now only one point behind 4th-place Juventus with three matches remaining.
Given the importance of yesterday’s victory, not to mention the sheer entertainment value, today’s S&S will be all halos!
The Saints
Mario Hermoso
It might be hard to recall, but a year ago Hermoso was on loan at Bayer Leverkusen after a challenging start to his time at Roma. What a difference a year makes, right? With those struggles a distant memory, Hermoso has spent 2026 solidifying his place in Gasperini’s lineup, and he may have delivered his finest performance to date.
After setting up Wesley’s goal in the 17th minute, Hermoso scored his own 17 minutes later, converting a low cross from Koné into Roma’s third goal, putting the match officially beyond doubt. In addition to his goal-scoring exploits, Hermoso contributed six defensive actions and four recoveries while playing a game-high 11 balls into the final third.
Wesley
While Roma’s other three goals had their merits, Wesley’s may have taken the cake. Capping off a five-touch move from the left edge of the box, the Brazilian wing-back wasted little time before pressing send, rifling a shot past de Gea in the 17th minute to pad Roma’s lead. Not only was this goal eye-pleasing, but it also represented a significant statistical achievement for Wesley, who turned this 0.11 xG attempt into a 0.88 xGOT finish, meaning he improved the likelihood of scoring a goal by, oh, 700%.
As a semi-unrelated aside, something struck me as odd while watching Wesley go up against his opposite number, Dodo—Roma has only one Brazilian! How is that even possible?
Manu Koné
Making his first appearance since late March, Koné showed few, if any, signs of rust. In 64 minutes, the French midfielder did a little bit of everything against the Viola: completing 91% of his passes, winning 75% of his duels, playing five balls into the final third, recovering four, and setting up Hermoso’s goal with a brilliant run toward the byline before whipping the ball across the face of the goal.
He may not survive Roma’s FFP cull this summer, but I’ll definitely continue to track his career no matter where he goes.
Niccolo Pisilli
The young Roman was the club’s highest-rated player across several sites, and talk about a stat-stuffing performance. In 90 minutes, Pisilli set up Gianluca Mancini’s opening goal with a well-placed corner kick at the near post, one of two chances he created. He also made 10 passes into the final third, completed 75% of his crosses, and made four interceptions, two tackles, and seven recoveries.
We predicted big things for Pisilli after Gasperini took command, and although it took a bit longer than expected, he looks like the real deal and should be firmly rooted in Roma’s midfield for the next 8-10 years.
Gianluca Mancini
He may not have had a statistically dominant evening at the Olimpico, but his 13th-minute goal set the tone for everything that followed. Slipping past the defense undetected, Mancini made a clever run toward the near post, meeting Pisilli’s cross at the perfect height and whipping it in the opposite direction, leaving de Gea with no chance to make a save.
Donyell Malen
No, Malen didn’t score another goal, but for the second straight week he notched a Trivela-style assist, setting up Pisilli’s 61st-minute goal with a beautiful outside-of-the-boot flick. That’s not to suggest Malen wasn’t a nuisance in the area; he fired off four shots on goal, forcing de Gea into a pair of saves in the 36th and 52nd minutes.
We’ll stop the hit parade here, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Evan Ndicka and Matías Soulé, who both turned in strong performances. Let’s hope for more of the save next week against Parma!
