5 Things we learned from Roma’s 1-1 draw with Inter

1. Powers of recovery

The fighting spirit and determination the team displayed to come back from going behind and grab an 84th minute leveller, scored by Radja Nainggolan, was unquestionably a positive for Liciano Spalletti.

The side knew the importance of retaining their grasp of third spot, the final Champions League position, and duly rallied together to seal a well-earned point. A heartened Spalletti spoke in admiration of his team's recovery in his post-match comments, saying: “Inter did well to score the opener but we did even better to fight our way back into it.

“It was a great match and I think the crowd enjoyed it. We can say it was a fair result, although after we levelled the scores we perhaps deserved a bit more given how we played."

2. Early dominance in midfield

Roma's relentless early pressure saw them start the match in impressive fashion, as they made life extremely difficult for Inter to get any sort of rhythm when they looked to pass out from the back, forcing them to hoof the ball out of trouble on countless occasions.

Spalletti's astute marking setup saw Inter's two deepest midfielders, Gary Medel and Marcelo Brozovic, vigorously marked by Diego Perotti and Miralem Pjanic respectively, while Nainggolan would look to block any passing lanes out, press when required or help Seydou Keita mark Inter's playmaker, Adem Ljajic, in situations where he'd come deep.

Although Roma inherently tired, having exerted themselves so heavily in the beginning, overall the strategy worked wonders, in the first half especially, and allowed them to win the midfield battle and persistently disrupt the Nerazzurri's possession phases.

3. Perotti’s movement

After asking Perotti to line up as Roma's trequartista last weekend versus Udinese, Spalletti opted to deploy the man who gives him so much tactical flexibility as his false nine for the Inter match.

Although this wasn't his best performance, his relentless work rate, combined with his intelligent movement, was vital for Roma. By constantly being on the move, whether pulling wide to the flanks or dropping deep to link midfield and attack, Perotti continually managed to create space for his teammates to utilise.

His purposeful movement forever dragged about Inter's defensive structure, successfully generating confusion as to who should mark him, plus it let him find openings to exploit.

4. Manolas impresses (again)

The colossal Greek centre-back continues to show why he's undoubtedly one of the finest defenders in Europe. No matter who he's playing alongside, Kostas Manolas just gets on with his work; completing it with unwavering commitment, dedication and intellect.

And this was precisely the case against the Nerazzurri. Roma's physically imposing number 44 ensured Eder endured a tough night at the office by never giving him an easy touch when he was marking him.

Manolas remained concentrated throughout, as he positioned himself perfectly all night, made excellent decisions as to when to step out and got across to support the returning Antonio Rudiger whenever necessary, which all parlayed to see him put in yet another brilliant body of work.

Such is his importance to the team at present, it's arguable he's now one of Roma's most important players.

5. Digne v Biabiany

Lucas Digne's battle with Jonathan Biabiany out on the left provided a fascinating subplot to the enthralling contest unfolding in midfield. Both men had their highlights, but the Giallorossi's flying Frenchman most definitely took the honours. Full of energy, dynamism and intensity going forward, Digne's willingness to push upfield supplied Roma with great width, especially when Stephan El Shaarawy would venture infield, in a game where Inter had a challenging time nullifying his impact.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, he undertook his duties staunchly against his countryman, Biabiany, on his way to racking up a vital three tackles and four interceptions.

With Digne recently expressing his desire to cement his spot within Didier Deschamps' France squad for the upcoming Euros, if he can keep replicating this sort of performance, he'll have no problem in achieving his dream.