MILAN: Felipe Anderson won the first Rome derby of the season for Lazio on Sunday with the only goal in a scrappy 1-0 victory over Roma which moved his team third in Serie A.
Brazilian Anderson struck the winner just before the half hour mark in the Italian capital after Roma defender Roger Ibanez gave the ball away cheaply in his own area.
It was the 29-year-old’s third league goal of the campaign as he continues to play in the unfamiliar position of center-forward in place of injured Ciro Immobile.
Italy striker Immobile was on the bench supporting Lazio despite a thigh problem leaving him unable to play and he watched his team go into the top four with an assured performance.
“Immobile has been with us the whole time, even during the training camp... He’s a leader and I’m playing a role in which he is a master,” Anderson told DAZN.
“The second half in particular showed just how ready we are to fight, we’re a team that wants to challenge at the top of the table.”
Lazio are level on 27 points with fourth-placed Atalanta, eight behind league leaders Napoli, and will stay third regardless of how Inter Milan do against arch rivals Juventus in Sunday’s late match.
Inter sit three points behind Lazio in sixth place and will take fourth spot from Atalanta if they win at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
Known for his expansive brand of football, Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri has developed a team who are hard to beat and shorn of key man Sergej Milinkovic-Savic they soaked up Roma’s largely ineffectual attacking and claimed a seventh clean sheet from their last eight matches.
Roma were the nominal home side at the Stadio Olimpico but went closest to scoring four minutes after going behind when Nicolo Zaniolo’s deflected
Premier League
Serie A
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Mohamed Salah
Maurizio Sarri
Felipe Anderson
Ciro Immobile
Roger Ibanez