Roma 5-0 Crotone: Pellegrini drives second half surge

After a goalless first-half that nonetheless saw Crotone goalkeeper Alex Cordaz called upon frequently, it did not take long for the Giallorossi to make their superiority count in the second.

Borja Mayoral needed just two minutes to break the deadlock, before a well-taken brace from Lorenzo Pellegrini effectively put the game beyond doubt.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan then slid home to make it 10 goals and 10 assists for the league season so far - before Mayoral got his second of the game with the final kick of the match to round off the scoring.

Coach Paulo Fonseca sprung a few surprises with his team selection, as Bryan Reynolds began the game at left-back and Ebrima Darboe made his first start for the club.

In the second half there was a debut for another Primavera youngster, Edoardo Bove, as Nicola Zalewski also made an appearance - following his midweek cameo against Manchester United.

The Giallorossi do not have long to enjoy this win: they face Inter Milan on Wednesday night at the San Siro, before going up against Lazio in the Derby della Capitale on Saturday night.

ROMA 5-0 CROTONE

GOALSCORERS: Mayoral (47', 90'), Pellegrini (70', 73'), Mkhitaryan (78')

ROMA (4-2-3-1): Fuzato; Reynolds (Santon), Ibanez (Jesus), Kumbulla, Karsdorp; Cristante (Zalewski), Darboe (Bove); Pedro (Pastore), Pellegrini, Mkhitaryan; Mayoral

Unused subs: Farelli, Mirante, Dzeko, Peres

CROTONE (3-5-2): Cordaz; Djidji, Golemic, Magallan; Molina, Messias, Cigarini (Petriccione), Benali, Reca; Ounas (Riviere), Simy

Unused subs: Crespi, Cuomo, Luperto, Rojas, Zanellato, Pereira, Rispoli, Marrone, Vulic