A superb double from former forgotten man Gerson helped Roma overcome Fiorentina in Florence on Sunday afternoon and make it 12 away wins on the bounce, beating Inter Milan's 11-match run from a decade ago to establish a new Serie A record.
The Brazilian, who has flourished under Eusebio Di Francesco, scored his first Giallorosso goals at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, fine left-foot strikes in the fifth and 30th minutes that were quickly answered by the hosts, first by a Jordan Veretout tap-in and then by a looping Giovanni Simeone header, as in the first half Roma veered wildly between incisive attacking and clumsy, haphazard passing accompanied by some uncharacteristically sloppy defending.
The away side had Alisson to thank for going in level at half-time after the Brazilian pulled off a brilliant double save in the 43rd minute, first tipping Federico Chiesa's shot onto the post and then charging down Veretout before he could get a proper shot off. After the break, however, Roma bucked their ideas up, kept Fiorentina at bay and bagged their record-breaking win thanks in part to a fortuitous goal in the 50th minute from Kostas Manolas, who had no idea that Aleksander Kolarov's deflected corner was about to hit his shoulder and nip past a befuddled Marco Sportiello in the Viola goal.
Roma capitalised on that piece of good fortune by closing out the game, and were in total control by the time Diego Perotti sealed the three points by lashing home Radja Nainggolan's excellent cross. A less-impressive effort than on Tuesday against Chelsea, but one that closes the gap between Roma and leaders Napoli to five points with a game hand.
Positives
Roma once again showed they have the mental strength to recover from setbacks. Not so long ago, being pegged back twice by a team like Fiorentina would have been the signal for collapse, but instead Roma gritted their teeth and even ended a scrappy match playing some free-flowing football. Seeing former fringe players Gerson and Alisson become mainstays of this team has been a delight.
Negatives
After looking so solid in previous matches with Juan Jesus starting in central defence, it was weird to see such ropey defending with Kostas Manolas back in the team. Whether that's because Federico Fazio, who was at fault for Simeone's equaliser, prefers to play on the right of the middle two rather than on the left or if it was just an off day is hard to say. Gerson's two goals couldn't cover up a poor first-half display that looked like a hangover from Tuesday night. A better opponent probably would have made the most of it.
Manager rating
6 -- After four straight clean sheets in between Serie A and the Champions League, this was the leakiest Roma have looked for a while, but there's no doubt that Di Francesco's rotation policy is working. The system is settled and everyone slots into their role nicely.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Alisson, 7 -- His double save just before half-time allowed Roma to go in with the score level just as they were wobbling.
DF Alessandro Florenzi, 5 -- Not the Italian's best day at the office, as he struggled against Chiesa.
DF Kostas Manolas, 6 -- Completely unaware of the ball ricocheting off his shoulder to turn the match in Roma's favour, but it rewarded a decent performance.
DF Fedrico Fazio, 6 -- Lost Simeone for Fiorentina's second equaliser. A rare blip for a good defender.
DF Aleksandar Kolarov, 6 -- All over the place in the first half, the Serbia international grew into the match as it went on.
MF Lorenzo Pellegrini, 5 -- Well below par. Maybe affected by not being called up for Italy?
MF Maxime Gonalons, 6 -- Did brilliantly to lay on Gerson for his second, but too often lost the ball in dangerous positions.
MF Radja Nainggolan, 6 -- Rushed with the ball early on, but his dogged pressing led to Roma's first and fourth goals. His fine assist for Diego Perotti sealed the points.
FW Gerson, 8 -- Two beautifully taken goals to open his Roma account and patrolled the right flank like it was his own. Impressive.
FW Edin Dzeko, 6 -- Leading the line as hard as ever, but clearly frustrated by the lack of goals in recent weeks.
FW Stephan El Shaarawy, 6 -- It would have been hard for anyone to follow up on his exploits against Chelsea, and this was a lower-key performance.
Substitutes
FW Diego Perotti, 7 -- Took his chance with aplomb and was a danger down the left.
MF Kevin Strootman, N/R -- Did what he had to do to help Roma see out the result.
FW Gregoire Defrel, N/R -- Missed a great chance to score his first Roma goal.