Dzeko: This is a special day

Speaking after the match, the Bosnian forward, who scored an early penalty to give Roma the lead, underlined the importance not only of winning the match, but of doing so with a clean sheet to boot.

“This is a special day,” Dzeko enthused after the final whistle. “Not just for me, but for all of the players experiencing their first taste of the derby. It was vital to get the win. All derbies are important and it’s always tough to secure the points. We did that today with a great performance.”

Roma’s approach was spot-on today…

“That’s right, our approach was excellent. This match is different to the others because derbies are never easy matches to play in. I think we need to keep this approach for every game – we pressed high today and got a goal straight away. That’s what the boss wanted and we then created several chances to get a second before half-time. We kept Lazio to just one chance.”

How have Roma improved over the past few weeks?

“It’s difficult to say. This is the second time this season we’ve kept a clean sheet so that shows we’re improving, but we need to do that much more moving forward. If we can start conceding fewer goals then that will be a positive because down the other end we’re finding the net often. I think we’ve shown today that we’re on the right track.”

Was it a penalty?

“It was a clear foul. I really don’t know if it was inside or just outside the box, but the referee decided to give a penalty so let’s respect his decision. As I say, it was definitely a foul.”