AS Roma put an end to the streak of four consecutive defeats in Serie A with the triumph of 4-1 over US Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico.
The hosts had not scored in their previous two matches under Claudio Ranieri's guidance and stormed into the game from the beginning while rectifying the situation in the 12th minute. After an exceptional angle through-pass from Stephan El Shaarawy, Alexis Saelemaekers was found in the box and managed to get the ball over the rushing goalkeeper on the slide dribbling into the net.
It seemed as though the progress was sufficient for Roma to tire 1-0 up at that point before substitute Saud Abdukhamid was penalised for a body check on Lassana Coulibaly, who went sprawling to the deck.
Cool as you like, Nikola Krstović buried it from the spot to send the teams in level at the break. Perhaps sensing that a victory was for the taking, Marco Giampaolo made three changes at half-time.
After much fresh legs for Lecce, Roma pretty came close after starting the second half but Paulo Dybala dragged his shot wide of post. With barely 60 minutes gone, the hosts needed someone to step up, and their man Gianluca Mancini obliged after launching himself on an El Shaarawy cross to send an diving header into the back of the net in front of delighted home crowd.
Giampaolo, though, countered by bringing in another pair, but it was under Ranieri's boys who drew the first blood five minutes later when Abdulhamid made amends for earlier conceding the penalty by picking up Niccolò Pisilli, who tucked the ball in the bottom corner with a perfect finish.
There was no answer from Lecce and the hosts still found time for another when Manu Koné completed a fourth.
Having achieved a scoreline that few would have predicted at HT for a victory, Roma have moved into 11th position, with any such suffocation in the offing.