Roma beat Sassuolo to close in on Serie A leaders Inter

Roma narrowed the gap to three points behind Serie A frontrunners Inter Milan on Saturday following a gritty 2-0 victory against Sassuolo in the capital.

Despite numerous injuries and absences due to the Africa Cup of Nations leaving them short staffed, Roma climbed to third place with rapid late strikes by Manu Kone and Matias Soule that shattered Sassuolo's determined defence.

Kone powered in the first goal with a header from Soule's precise delivery in the 77th minute, igniting wild celebrations at the Stadio Olimpico.

The supporters were convinced of the win just two minutes later as Soule slotted in Stephan El Shaarawy's subtle pass after a smooth team build up.

The Argentine attacker Soule mentioned to DAZN that he would treat El Shaarawy to "a bottle of wine", much to the amusement of the experienced forward who struck the crossbar in added time and saw another effort disallowed for offside.

"Luckily the second half had a far better energy than the first, games tend to open up later... we just need to keep pushing forward," Soule remarked.

Roma, missing seven squad members with five youth prospects on the bench, now match second placed AC Milan on 39 points, with the latter facing Fiorentina away on Sunday.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side showed a stark improvement after the break compared to the dull first half where Sassuolo, sitting 12th and 10 points clear of danger, competed evenly.

"The second half brought greater pace but especially higher skill levels," Gasperini noted.

"I began to spot the form from practice: effective ball control in crowded areas and the knack for threatening the penalty box.

"I must commend the players for their remarkable dedication and spirit, along with their talent."

Both Milan and Inter, set to host Napoli in the big match at San Siro this weekend, hold an extra fixture over Roma from their Italian Super Cup involvement in Saudi Arabia.

Post Napoli encounter, Inter welcome struggling Lecce at home on Wednesday, while Milan head to nearby Como the following day, a side whose top four aspirations took a hit in a 1-1 stalemate against 10 man Bologna.

Martin Baturina's brilliant last gasp effort rescued a share for Como, who had fallen behind to Nicolo Cambiaghi's strike soon after the interval; the latter was dismissed later for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Como trail fourth placed Napoli by four points, with the southern club hosting Parma for their postponed match on Wednesday.

In Saturday's later action, Atalanta aim to build on their upturn under Raffaele Palladino by taking on Torino.