Four Things We Learned: Mirante holds firm in the end

Determination and character fuelled display

Coming from behind on three separate occasions, Roma showed their resilience and fighting spirit to earn a 3-3 draw against AC Milan.

In a pulsating clash filled with drama at the San Siro, goals from Edin Dzeko, Jordan Veretout and Marash Kumbulla secured a share of the spoils.

Considering the players unavailable and the fact table-topping AC Milan were yet to drop any points prior to the game, Paulo Fonseca was quite content with the outcome.

“The positive aspect is that we scored three goals, the less positive aspect is that we conceded three goals. But it was a very even game," he explained.

"We conceded a goal in the opening few minutes but after that the team responded well, with courage, with quality in the build-up."

Mirante masterclass

Putting in yet another quality performance in goal, Antonio Mirante kept up his brilliant form. Commanding his area with authority and executing his actions with clarity, the veteran netminder made some fantastic saves to stifle the likes of Franck Kessie and Hakan Calhanoglu.

Quick to react and reading situations swiftly, Mirante made a host of vital saves to deny Milan. His standout efforts included a wicked late reaction stop to deny Kessie, a slick diving stop to divert Alessio Romagnoli's header and his wonderful lateral launch to keep out Calhanoglu's free kick.

Producing five valuable saves when his team needed him, the quality and consistency of his displays have been integral in Roma's four-game unbeaten run in Serie A.

Pedro and Karsdorp dovetail smoothly

The way Rick Karsdorp and Pedro interacted down the right offered Roma plenty of impetus going forward. Seeing as Pedro would frequently drop deep into full back areas, this was the trigger for Karsdorp to push on into advanced areas.

With Pedro being so good on the ball and his direct opponent unwilling to follow him that deep, the tactic saw him able to receive under minimal pressure and create an overload to aid in build up.

Another vital element of this was that his presence drew out a central midfielder, which made room for Dzeko or a Roma midfielder to exploit.

Meanwhile, Karsdorp's role was to add width and depth to the attacks. Stretching the Milanese backline vertically and horizontally, he also helped produce disconnects so Roma's attackers could explore the openings that arised.

How he timed his runs in behind was a highlight too, for he embarked on many sharp runs to breathe life into passages.

Giving Milan plenty to think about, the Pedro/Karsdorp axis certainly worked well for the Giallorossi on the night.

Set pieces bear fruit

Knowing AC Milan would implement a man-marking scheme from corner kick situations, Fonseca and his coaching staff devised a smart strategy to gain an edge. Possessing such a formidable aerial threat with the likes of Kumbulla, Gianluca Mancinu, Dzeko and Ibanez, Milan were keen to mark them tightly in an attempt to limit their impact.

Roma found a way around this, disrupting the Rossoneri by using some excellent screens, blocks and cunning movement.

Just prior to the corner being taken, Roma's targets, who were usually positioned just inside the edge of the box or near the penalty area, would use double movements, opposite movements, zig zags and rotations to create space to lose their markers.

Roma's opener offered a quality example of their aptitude here, as Mancini and Kumbulla crossed over before both men went towards the near post. Ibanez then hung back to keep Kessie away from the target area.

As a result Dzkeo had room to attack, which he duly did, with the Bosnian powerfully heading home. Although Milan goalkeeper, Ciprian Tatarusanu, didn't cover himself in glory here, the mechanics were nonetheless excellent.

Kumbulla's late equaliser also owed much to their slick set piece work.

In this instance, Roma sent two men towards the near post to draw out defenders while leaving five in the back post area. The quintet were obviously the targets, as they blocked and moved effectively to unbalance Milan.

Additional keys towards Kumbulla scoring was Henrikh Mkhitaryan's crucial block and how Kumbulla continued his run despite the deflection.

Using the tools at their disposal superbly to expose their adversaries, Fonseca would have been delighted at their set piece prowess.