Four Things We Learned: Frustrating result but dominant display

Fonseca's men excel without ultimate reward

Despite putting in a dominant, assertive derby display, Roma ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Lazio.

On a night where Edin Dzeko scored his 99th goal for the Giallorossi before Lazio equalised somewhat fortuitously, there was still a lot to be encouraged about.

Even though they didn't get the three points they deserved, the fact they unleashed 22 shots and had an XG of 2.10 -while their adversaries could only muster six and 1.06 respectively - illustrated their dominance.

Moreover, the way Paulo Fonseca's game plan allowed Roma to control possession and largely contain Lazio's immense threat on the counter attack were extra highlights from an outstanding collective effort.

"We produced a brilliant performance against a very good side. The statistics from the game are quite incredible," Fonseca explained.

"We took to the pitch with a brave approach and camped ourselves in their half, which allowed us to create openings. When we play like that, it's much easier to believe in this team. The lads deserved more today."

Santon key in build up

While he put in an excellent defensive shift, Davide Santon's contribution on the offensive end was equally important. On top of embarking on some brilliant forward bursts and striking some incisive vertical passes, his movement was arguably the most prominent feature of his game.

To start with, his wide positioning to create a back three when Roma built out from the back successfully stretched Lazio's first line of pressure, which helped massively in their quest to progress upfield.

Generating ideal 3v2 numerical superiorities, this regularly meant Roma could recirculate possession calmly and draw Lazio to one side before finding a free side back (either Santon or Chris Smalling).

Santon was frequently found as the free man, as Roma were keen to target Lazio's left, with the Giallorossi keen to take advantage of some sharp midfield movement and rotations, plus Cengiz Under being up against the aging Senad Lulic and Stefan Radu.

Once in possession, Santon would drive upfield, hoping to push his side forward. In doing so, he'd crucially provoke Luis Alberto from his midfield post to press him, thus manufacturing key 4v3 or 3v2 shapes to beat the pressure and find a free man in the right half space or wide.

With Roma funneling 43% of attacks down their right, Fonseca's smartly devised and implemented strategy certainly bore fruit. And Santon's role was vital towards it working so soundly.

Defence quells Lazio's dynamic frontline

Facing off against one of the most formidable attacking units in Serie A, Roma's defenders emphatically rose to the challenge.

Restricting Joaquin Correa, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto and league top goalscorer Ciro Immobile to a single shot each, they did a fantastic job keeping quiet the quartet that has amassed a whopping 35 goals and 21 assists in league action this campaign.

Matching up beautifully against Simone Inzaghi's foursome, it was impressive how well Roma applied pressure to their foes and made life as difficult as possible for them. With Jordan Veretout typically marking chief chance creator in Alberto, the Frenchman, in combination with Roma's quality pressing, did a proficient job of cutting the supply line.

With Lazio regularly forced into going long, they'd push the powerful, imposing Milinkovic-Savic high so he could win headed flick ons to Immobile and Correa. In such cases, Bryan Cristante would often push back and mark him or one of the central defenders would challenge him. Then, the runs of Correa and Immobile would be intently tracked by a mixture of one or both centre backs, Cristante or a tucking in fullback.

Alert and awake to runners in behind, how Smalling and Gianluca Mancini read the play shrewdly and used their excellent pace saw them largely contain this threat. In addition, the way they used their size and strength to gain an edge on their markers also deserved mention, for they never made life easy for the nominal away side.

Roma's aggressive counterpressing was notable too, with this minimising the amount of time Lazio's players had to assess their options and launch upfield passes.

Santon's withdrawn, deeper position also proved valuable, as he was strongly positioned to help his team deal with Lazio's fearsome transitions alongside Mancini and Smalling.

Some other significant aspects of their stopping efforts came from how they'd get touchtight when their man dropped deep so they couldn't control cleanly or turn, how they'd communicate marking crossovers and continually supported one another.

Pellegrini and Veretout's rotations

The slickly executed rotations performed by Lorenzo Pellegrini and Veretout gave Roma a further source of attacking impetus.

With these interactions usually occurring down the right, this compounded issues for Lazio down this side. Causing marking dilemmas in regard to who should mark who, the duo's nifty movement manufactured space for either to receive in or opened passing lanes or areas for colleagues to exploit.

The likes of Dzeko, Cengiz and Justin Kluivert all benefited from this, as they enjoyed the extra space made available to them by the pair disrupting Lazio's setup.

The interchanges also ensured Veretout could use his wicked running power to maraud forward to get in behind and that Pellegrini was able to use his masterful passing abilities and ball carrying in deeper, less densely populated areas, where he had extra time to execute his actions.