Roma starting XI (3-4-2-1): Svilar, Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso, Celik (subbed for Ghilardi), Cristante, Kone, Wesley (subbed for Ziolkowski), Soulé (subbed for El Aynaoui), Pellegrini (subbed for El Shaarawy), Dovbyk (subbed for Baldanzi)
Bench: Vasquez, Gollini, Rensch, Tsimikas, Pisilli
Goals: Pellegrini 42’ (Pen), Celik 61’
Udinese starting XI (3-5-2): Okoye, Bertola, Kabasele (subbed for Palma), Solet, Zanoli, Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom (subbed for Piotrowski), Atta, Kamara (subbed for Zemura), Zaniolo (subbed for Bayo), Buksa (subbed for Davis)
Bench: Nunziante, Sava, Padelli, Goglichidze, Ehizibue, Modesto, Lovric, Zarraga, Gueye, Bravo
Udinese, fresh from the victory over Atalanta that had allowed them to dream of Europe, were made to watch the teams ahead of them pull away—though they remain comfortably midtable.
Gan Piero Gasperini, who was awarded Coach of the Month for October, was without Paulo Dybala and Ireland international Evan Ferguson, and had to rely heavily on Artem Dovbyk to carry the Roma attack supported by Matias Soulé and Pellegrini.
Udinese, for their part, tried to exploit the spaces that Roma left open. Arthur Atta got a shot away from inside the box that missed the target by centimetres, before Hassane Kamara saw his shot from distance saved by Mile Svilar in the Roma goal.
In the 37th minute, Kamara gave away a penalty for a handball that was converted by Pellegrini with little trouble.
Just after the hour mark, Celik doubled Roma’s lead with a shot that should have been easily blocked, but was deflected in. The goal came after a well-worked one-two with Gianluca Mancini on the right.
Roma are now second on the Serie A table on 24 points—equal with Inter but with an inferior goal difference.
