Kolarov pleased to help Roma to important win

The Serbian scored a decisive free-kick with 20 minutes remaining to restore the Giallorossi’s lead – one that they would add to before the final whistle, as Federico Fazio headed home in the final moments to confirm a 3-1 win.

The Giallorossi have now won two in a row, turning the corner after last weekend’s defeat against Bologna.

“It was important to win for ourselves,” Kolarov said.

“I've always said that we're a great team and today we went out there and did what we had to do to win. I'm happy for the fans, for myself and for the team.”

Arne Selmosson is the only other player to have scored a derby goal for both Lazio and Roma.

“That was in 1958 – it hadn't happened for 60 years,” Kolarov noted. “I always try to do my best. I knew I'd be able to score for Roma in the derby and I'm happy to have done it.”

The left-back was asked how Roma could go from losing away to Bologna to producing such a strong display in such a vital game.

“Perhaps we needed to hit a low like that,” Kolarov said. “Last year we had a lull between December and February; this year it's come earlier.

“We should have beaten Bologna and Chievo in any case. Perhaps we needed a short, sharp shock like that so that we could come out and get this win against Lazio.”

Asked about Lorenzo Pellegrini’s display specifically, he added: “I always say that there's nothing wrong with making a mistake – you just have to press on doing things as normal. Lorenzo is a fantastic player. He's young and has a lot of pressure on his shoulders but today he showed he can deal with it.”