Roma's record-breaking start under Gasperini: goals tripled and unbeaten run stretches to 17

Roma have scored 28 goals this season from 12 different scorers, and Gian Piero Gasperini's side now have the best attack in Serie A. Donyell Malen leads the way with eight goals, while the other 20 have been shared among 11 team-mates. The list stretches from Bryan Cristante to Daniele Ghilardi, passing through Rodrigo Mora and Evan N'Dicka. The offensive machine has rewritten a club record that had stood since 1960.

Roma travel to Old Trafford on Tuesday to face a Manchester United side whose head coach, Michael Carrick, is at serious risk of losing his job, and who scored in the infamous 7-1 defeat of 2007. Carrick opened the scoring after eleven minutes of that night, when Manchester United beat Roma 7-1 in the Champions League quarter-final, a result that came after Roma had won 2-1 at the Olimpico in the first leg, under Luciano Spalletti. Smith, Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo also scored, and Carrick later added the sixth with a superb strike from distance. Roma have also not forgotten the heavy 6-2 defeat in the 2021 Europa League semi-final. Today the balance of power appears to have shifted. Gasperini's Roma arrive in England on the back of a 5-2 win at Udine, unbeaten in Serie A, and with an attack that has scored 28 goals in the first ten matchdays. Manchester United, by contrast, have not won in nine consecutive matches, with six defeats and three draws, a run of form the club have not endured since 1988. Their latest defeat came at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea won 2-0 on Saturday. United sit on seven points after nine Premier League matchdays, dangerously close to the relegation zone. In the Champions League they have lost their last two games, against Atlético Madrid and Como. Carrick's position has become one of the hottest topics in English football. After the defeat to Chelsea, asked whether he would still be in charge on Tuesday against Roma, he answered in the affirmative. However, his future remains under scrutiny, with United's board called upon to decide how to deal with a crisis that shows no sign of ending. The man who helped inflict one of the heaviest defeats in Roma's history could therefore be fighting for a significant part of his future against the Giallorossi. The article warns against treating the match as a formality. A wounded United can be more dangerous than the table suggests, individual quality is not lacking, Old Trafford remains one of Europe's most difficult grounds, and the need to end a run of poor results may act as extra motivation. Gasperini knows this well: Roma must bring the same intensity and personality shown in recent weeks and not be fooled by the English crisis. A win on Tuesday would not erase the 7-1 or the 6-2 of 2021, but it could give a new meaning to the Romans' return to the Theatre of Dreams. In 2007 Carrick was a midfielder in a seemingly invincible side; in 2026 he is the coach of a team desperately trying to recover, while Roma arrive confident of competing on equal terms. Manchester United may, for once, be the side more afraid of the Giallorossi.

Cristante has been named the best Roma player by Italian newspapers, rated 7.79, with the Corriere dello Sport calling his performance "sontuoso ben oltre il gol e l'assist" (superb well beyond the goal and assist). Behind him, Soulé (7.29) was praised for being consistently creative and dangerous, while Malen (7.21) and Ghilardi (7.07) also earned high marks, with Ghilardi celebrating his first Serie A goal. Ndicka and Mora both received 7.00. In an evening without any genuine failures, the lowest ratings went to Gollini and Pisilli (6.07), followed by Molina and Castro (6.21). Referee Maresca received an overall positive verdict, rated 6.00, helped by a match that Roma steered early. Gazzetta, Corriere dello Sport and Messaggero all praised him, while Il Romanista, giving him 5.5, was the only outlet to criticise his performance. The most debated moment came late in the match, when Kabasele and Castro made contact. Gazzetta and Corriere dello Sport judged the touch too light to award a penalty. Il Romanista disagreed, calling the contact "abbastanza chiaro" (fairly clear) and criticising the decision to let play continue. The ratings reflect a broadly positive picture for Roma, with the press singling out midfield and attacking contributions alongside the defensive display of Ghilardi and Ndicka. The debate over the late Kabasele-Castro incident has become the main point of discussion for the referee's performance, with the newspapers split on whether a spot-kick should have been given. The piece is a rolling round-up of short Roma news items, notes and reports published on Sunday 1 November 2026 under the Giallorossi.net flash banner.