Roma smash Fiorentina to move within a point of Serie A's top four

Roma understood that securing victory would position them just one point away from the UEFA Champions League spots, especially after Juventus's unexpected draw against Verona the previous day, whereas Fiorentina merely required a point to ensure their league safety.

As expected, the initial notable chance went to Donyell Malen, who leads Roma's scoring list with 11 strikes since joining in January, yet the Dutch forward was unfortunate as his shot from 18 yards, which took a deflection, clipped the top of the bar.

Niccolo Pisilli delivered the subsequent corner, and Gianluca Mancini powered in a header to put his team ahead in the 13th minute, marking his second Serie A goal this season.

Roma swiftly extended their lead four minutes later, launching a rapid counter and with Mario Hermoso assisting Wesley to bend in his fifth strike of the season into the far corner.

This left Fiorentina having shipped more goals in the first half's opening 17 minutes than across their prior seven league fixtures put together (1).

Eleven minutes shy of the interval, they trailed by an even greater margin when Manu Kone danced past Nicolo Fagioli near the touchline and supplied a cross for Hermoso to net his second successive home appearance goal.

Fiorentina managed their debut effort on target only in the 44th minute, prompting manager Paolo Vanoli to introduce three fresh faces at the interval by replacing Marin Pongracic, Jack Harrison, and Albert Gudmundsson with Pietro Comuzzo, Riccardo Braschi, and Fabiano Parisi.

Braschi nearly influenced proceedings right away, hitting the upright just two minutes into the second half, soon followed by another Malen attempt that deflected onto the crossbar.

However, the Dutchman found joy two minutes short of the hour, with his exquisite lofted delivery converted by Pisilli for the midfielder's second Serie A contribution this campaign.

The lone astonishment was Malen's absence from the scoresheet during Roma's stellar evening, as the side has triumphed in an astonishing 19 of their 22 Serie A encounters after opening the scoring this term (D2, L1).

The Giallorossi rise to fifth place with three fixtures left in the schedule, as Fiorentina slip to 16th, holding a nine-point buffer from danger, following their second loss in the past 12 league games (W5, D5).