Roma finally win, but at a cost

It had to happen eventually. Roma had gone into this one still searching for their first win of the Champions League campaign, and Slovan Bratislava barely laid a glove on them. Football Italia described the Giallorossi as finally securing that breakthrough victory, and BBC Sport went further, calling Slovan "toothless" against a Roma side that looked anything but short of ideas in front of goal.

Mario Hermoso got on the scoresheet in a performance that had goals coming from all areas of the pitch, exactly the kind of statement Gasperini needed after a stop-start European campaign. Four goals against a side that offered little resistance will not silence every doubt about Roma in Europe, but it buys breathing room, and breathing room was in short supply before kick-off.

The Pellegrini worry

The celebration had barely settled before the mood shifted. Pellegrini, Roma's captain, picked up an injury during the game, and Gasperini didn't hide his concern afterwards, telling Football Italia that Roma were "in good shape" overall but admitting there was genuine worry over his skipper. No detail has emerged yet on how serious it is, but losing Pellegrini for any length of time is the last thing Roma need with a heavy fixture list ahead.

Dybala, still waiting

Paulo Dybala watched this one from the sidelines, and Gasperini's update on the Argentine was lukewarm at best: Roma "need to win" in the Champions League, the manager said, while confirming Dybala "needs a few more weeks" before he's back involved. No firm date has been put on his return. Dybala has been enormous for Roma since arriving from Juventus, chipping in three goals and eight assists in 27 appearances this season in the numbers Flagside holds, and a side sitting third in Serie A with 17 points from seven games will want him back sooner rather than later.

Slovan's familiar face

There was a curious footnote to the night too: Yaya Touré, once a Champions League winner himself with Barcelona and a Manchester City midfield fixture for years, is now part of Slovan Bratislava's set-up, though his exact role on this occasion wasn't detailed in the build-up. Whatever influence he had, it wasn't enough to stop Roma running riot at the Olimpico.

The fixture list ahead

Roma needed exactly this kind of night, a comfortable win to go with the position they already hold domestically, sitting third in Serie A with a goal difference of plus 13 after seven rounds. Gasperini now has to navigate that schedule without his captain for an unknown stretch and without Dybala for at least a few more weeks.