Roma thrash Udinese 4-0 to go top with 24 points as Gasperini eyes the title race

Bryan Cristante has said Roma are genuine contenders this season and can go all the way, after a convincing away win at Udinese. Speaking in the post-match interview, the midfielder said the club know they are at the top and must keep winning to stay in touch with the leaders. Asked whether Roma can challenge for the title, he replied: "Ci proviamo, è chiaro" — "We're trying, that's clear. But if we play like this, there are chances to go all the way." Cristante is a key figure in Gian Piero Gasperini's side, and his performance at Udinese was outstanding. Despite ongoing physical discomfort that he deals with daily, and the extended absence of key players such as Koné, he delivered consistent, high-level displays, combining quantity with ten duels won, plus balls recovered and decisive plays in both attack and defence. He also scored a goal and provided an assist. His work in midfield, alongside Marten de Roon and the growing contribution of the young players, underlines the strength of Roma's central zone. Roma's form in front of goal is a major reason for their start. According to Corriere dello Sport, the club have scored 28 goals in their first 10 league matches, a figure not recorded at this stage since the 1960/61 and 2016/17 seasons. Cristante said: "Stiamo segnando tanto e creando tanto. Quando hai questa forza offensiva, vincere è più facile" — "We're scoring a lot and creating a lot. When you have this attacking strength, winning is easier." The team now travel directly to England to prepare for their Champions League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Cristante added: "È sempre il Manchester United, anche se è in crisi. Parliamo di una squadra forte, che ha tantissimi giocatori di qualità e in casa loro è dura per tutti" — "It's always Manchester United, even if they are in crisis. We're talking about a strong team with plenty of quality players, and at home it's tough for everyone."

Roma routed Udinese, and Bryan Cristante was unanimously voted the best player on the pitch by the Italian newspapers after a dominant display under Gian Piero Gasperini. Udinese head coach Runjaic is under growing pressure, with his position on the bench increasingly at risk. Roma's players were almost all praised, with Molina rated among the least impressive of the Giallorossi while the marks for the rest of the team were very high. Cristante was singled out alongside Rodrigo Mora, Ghilardi and N'Dicka as the standout performers. The result was a clear and emphatic win, with Roma taking apart Udinese. The newspapers' ratings showed a broadly positive verdict on the team's performance, with several players reinforcing their claims for regular places in the side. The ratings from the main Italian dailies were as follows. Corriere dello Sport: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7.5, N'Dicka 7.5, Hermoso 7 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 7.5, Wesley 7 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7.5 (Pisilli 6.5); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.5. Il Messaggero: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 6.5 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7 (Mancini 6), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7 (Castro 6). All: Gasperini 7.5. Corriere della Sera: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 7, Wesley 6.5 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7 (Castro 6). All: Gasperini 7.5. La Repubblica: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 6.5, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6.5, Cristante 7.5, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 6 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.5. Tuttosport: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 7.5, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 7 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7 (Mancini 6), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.

Daniele Ghilardi enjoyed his first Serie A goal in Roma's 4-0 win at Udinese, a result that brought smiles, records and new confidence to Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Ghilardi had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside against Slovan Bratislava. Speaking after the match with a laugh, he said: "It's my first in A, I struck it with all the strength I had. It was the end of the game, I had cramps in my calves. I was dead, I was stretching and they didn't see me." He also teased team-mate Emanuele Lulli about goal celebrations: "I celebrated better than Emanuele because he wasn't used to it. I scored two in B and one in C. It took more than two seasons to do it in Serie A." The defender, who has moved past his early difficulties, now feels fully integrated into Gasperini's systems and into the central role he has in the team's play. Evan Ndicka also impressed at the back, scoring the decisive fourth goal and winning 100% of his duels, with four recoveries and four clearances. Ndicka said: "I'm happy, but above all for the team and for the three points. In the second half we dropped the tempo a little. When you close the first half 4-0 there is a risk of already thinking about the next games, but that didn't happen. We are all starters and each of us has his own minutes." Roma will not return to Rome straight after the win. The squad held a recovery session at Udinese's training centre, before travelling by coach to Trieste in the afternoon and then flying to England. Roma face Manchester United at Old Trafford in a demanding Champions League fixture. The medical staff have confirmed there will be no quick returns: Svilar, Dybala and Koné will not travel and are aiming to return ahead of the next fixtures before the November break.

Roma routed Udinese, and Bryan Cristante was unanimously voted the best player on the pitch by the Italian newspapers after a dominant display under Gian Piero Gasperini. Udinese head coach Runjaic is under growing pressure, with his position on the bench increasingly at risk. Roma's players were almost all praised, with Molina rated among the least impressive of the Giallorossi while the marks for the rest of the team were very high. Cristante was singled out alongside Rodrigo Mora, Ghilardi and N'Dicka as the standout performers. The result was a clear and emphatic win, with Roma taking apart Udinese. The newspapers' ratings showed a broadly positive verdict on the team's performance, with several players reinforcing their claims for regular places in the side. The ratings from the main Italian dailies were as follows. Corriere dello Sport: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7.5, N'Dicka 7.5, Hermoso 7 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 7.5, Wesley 7 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7.5 (Pisilli 6.5); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.5. Il Messaggero: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 6.5 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7 (Mancini 6), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7 (Castro 6). All: Gasperini 7.5. Corriere della Sera: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 7, Wesley 6.5 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7 (Castro 6). All: Gasperini 7.5. La Repubblica: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 6.5, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6.5, Cristante 7.5, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 6 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.5. Tuttosport: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 7.5, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 7 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7 (Mancini 6), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.

Daniele Ghilardi enjoyed his first Serie A goal in Roma's 4-0 win at Udinese, a result that brought smiles, records and new confidence to Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Ghilardi had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside against Slovan Bratislava. Speaking after the match with a laugh, he said: "It's my first in A, I struck it with all the strength I had. It was the end of the game, I had cramps in my calves. I was dead, I was stretching and they didn't see me." He also teased team-mate Emanuele Lulli about goal celebrations: "I celebrated better than Emanuele because he wasn't used to it. I scored two in B and one in C. It took more than two seasons to do it in Serie A." The defender, who has moved past his early difficulties, now feels fully integrated into Gasperini's systems and into the central role he has in the team's play. Evan Ndicka also impressed at the back, scoring the decisive fourth goal and winning 100% of his duels, with four recoveries and four clearances. Ndicka said: "I'm happy, but above all for the team and for the three points. In the second half we dropped the tempo a little. When you close the first half 4-0 there is a risk of already thinking about the next games, but that didn't happen. We are all starters and each of us has his own minutes." Roma will not return to Rome straight after the win. The squad held a recovery session at Udinese's training centre, before travelling by coach to Trieste in the afternoon and then flying to England. Roma face Manchester United at Old Trafford in a demanding Champions League fixture. The medical staff have confirmed there will be no quick returns: Svilar, Dybala and Koné will not travel and are aiming to return ahead of the next fixtures before the November break.

Roma turned Halloween night into a show of force, beating Udinese 5-2 and extending their lead at the top of the table, with five different goalscorers ahead of the Champions League trip to Manchester. The match was effectively decided in the first ten minutes. Bryan Cristante headed Roma in front from Wesley's fine cross, with Udinese goalkeeper Okoye far from faultless, and the hosts' resistance collapsed from there. In the first half Roma created chances with ease and hit the woodwork twice, through Soulé and Malen, before a burst of goals settled the contest. Mora, Malen and Ndicka all scored, giving Roma four goals in the first 37 minutes. Mora, who scored in the first half, confirmed he can be decisive even when starting from the first minute, Malen kept scoring with striking regularity, and Soulé produced tricks and assists. Cristante was outstanding, scoring, providing the assist for Mora and making constant runs, and was probably the best player on the pitch. Only days earlier he had looked among the players struggling with the demands of a punishing schedule. Marten de Roon provided balance and composure in midfield, and both men passed a test many had feared they would fail against a physical Udinese side. The only blemish came after the break, when Roma conceded too easily in the opening minutes of the second half, allowing Zaniolo to reduce the deficit. Palma later made it 4-2, but Udinese never looked capable of completing a comeback. Gasperini began managing his players and his energy, understandably, with a Champions League match at Old Trafford to come. Ghilardi was rewarded for another convincing performance by scoring the decisive 5-2 with a powerful right-foot strike, set up by a pass from Santiago Castro. Five goals from five different scorers was, in the writer's view, the most encouraging statistic of the evening. Roma have now scored 28 goals in ten league matches. Gasperini was credited with the team's mentality as much as its football. The writer argued the side increasingly reflects his ideas, with Mora, Ghilardi, Balerdi and Cristante all stepping up in turn while the coach keeps rotating his players. When Gasperini said after the match that he sees himself in this team, it was described as one of the most significant remarks of the season. The article also highlighted one area for improvement: the gap between Malen and Castro in attack. Malen gives depth, constantly attacks goal and turns harmless balls into chances, while Castro, despite a fine assist for Ghilardi's goal, looks less influential. The writer hopes Gasperini can also get the best out of Castro, so that Roma can lose Malen without losing much of their threat. The next major test is Manchester, against an opponent that will not offer the same freedoms Udinese did. Roma face that Champions League fixture at Old Trafford next, on Tuesday.