Four Things We Learned: Win the main thing as Giallorossi survive Baku cauldron

Vital away Champions League win

Roma ended an unwelcome run of almost seven years without an away win in the Champions League with a hard-fought triumph in Baku. In a solid showing from the Giallorossi, they got the job done well in the unfamiliar confines of the Azerbaijani capital, while notably showing many key components of Eusebio Di Francesco's philosophy.

Despite not being entirely satisfied with the performance, the Roma manager was just glad to take home all three points, which may prove especially crucial upon taking into account Chelsea's win over Atletico Madrid.

"You can’t be disappointed when you win," he said. "We should have managed the two-goal lead better – we could have been more decisive and passed the ball better, but let’s not forget that Roma hadn’t won an away game in the Champions League for a long time and we showed we had what it takes to get three vital points."

El Shaarawy and Nainggolan find a rhythm

The way Stephan El Shaarawy and Radja Nainggolan worked in tandem in left and left of centre areas was a joy to watch throughout. Particularly impressive, though, was how they combined to manipulate the Qarabag defensive structure to create space for one another.

The most effective way they did so was in situations when left winger El Shaarawy would drop deep, knowing his marker would subsequently track him. Recognising this, Nainggolan would then shrewdly target his runs into the now vacated channel in the left half space to get in behind the Azerbaijani backline.

Gonalons adjusting to holding role

Maxime Gonalons showed glimpses of what an asset he could be to Roma's squad, putting in another decent shift from his holding midfield post. By positioning himself in front of his two centre-backs when Roma were building possession out from the back, he generally did a solid job of ensuring Kostas Manolas and Juan Jesus had plenty of space to freely make their decisions in possession.

In doing so, he pinned his marker, Dino Ndlovu, who was unwilling to press either centre-back, for he knew leaving Gonalons to receive unmarked could have dangerous consequences. Although he therefore wasn't always available to receive himself, Gonalons' lateral and diagonal movements allowed him to shift his man and open passing lanes to Roma's midfielders.

The Frenchman is still adjusting to his new surroundings but, once that process is completed, would seem to have the attributes to cover Daniele De Rossi when the veteran captain needs a rest.

Wingers' central occupation

The manner in which Di Francesco instructed his wingers, in this case Gregoire Defrel and El Shaarawy, to venture infield and occupy their respective half spaces often proved productive - for it gave Edin Dzeko a brilliant outlet either side of him to play his customarily slick lay-offs.

Up against such a deep sitting defence, playing fast combinations accompanied by dynamic movements certainly served as an incisive platform for the away side to unlock Qarabag through.