Roma coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, experienced an emotional rollercoaster on Sunday as his team surged to a 3-1 victory at Cremonese, returning to the top of Serie A just ahead of the Milan derby.
Gasperini went from furiously shouting on the sidelines to smiling in the stands within minutes.
The win lifted Roma two points above defending champions Napoli and three points clear of Bologna and Inter Milan, with Inter set to host AC Milan later in the day. Milan, in fifth, sits just two points behind their city rivals.
Cremonese had posed challenges for many teams this season, and Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar produced several key saves to keep the hosts at bay.
Roma broke the deadlock with their first significant attack: Manu Koné combined with Lorenzo Pellegrini before finding Matías Soulé at the edge of the box, who curled a superb effort into the bottom-left corner.
Cremonese had a potential penalty overturned on VAR at halftime after a ball struck Roma defender Gianluca Mancini’s arm, which was deemed “not punishable” as it was positioned naturally against his body.
Gasperini’s frustration boiled over in the 62nd minute after receiving a yellow card for dissent. His repeated protests — “I didn’t say anything”, earned him a second yellow, and he was sent off while still vocally expressing his anger.
Roma wasted no time capitalizing, doubling their lead just two minutes later. The ball ricocheted around the box before substitute Evan Ferguson found the perfect opportunity to curl home his first goal for the club.
Gasperini, now in the stands, later beamed as Roma added a third in the 69th minute, with Wesley timing his run perfectly to latch onto Stephan El Shaarawy’s through ball and finish past Emil Audero.
Francesco Folino scored a late consolation for Cremonese, but it was too little to change the outcome.
Meanwhile, in the relegation battle, Parma secured a crucial 2-1 win over Hellas Verona thanks to a brace from Mateo Pellegrino.
The victory moved Parma three points above the drop zone, while Verona slipped to last place, three points from safety.
