Four goals by the 37th minute put Roma clear of Udinese

Roma won 5-2 with fewer shots than usual, but their chances were far better, and a four-goal opening spell settled it.

Four goals had gone in before the 37th minute at the Bluenergy Stadium, and by half time the match had largely been decided. Bryan Cristante opened the scoring in the 10th minute, Rodrigo Mora and Donyell Malen struck within two minutes of each other, and Evan Ndicka added a fourth just before the break. Udinese answered through Nicolo Zaniolo in the 50th minute and Matteo Palma in the 78th, but Daniele Ghilardi made it five in the 90th.

The more interesting figures are the chances. Expected goals, a score given to each shot for how likely it was to go in, put Udinese's total at 1.89 for the match, against a home average of 0.93. They took 15 shots, only slightly above their usual 13.8, so they were not much busier than normal. What changed was the quality, and seven of those shots were on target.

Roma's pattern was different. They took 14 shots, nine of them on target, which is well below their away average of 18.7, and they had 54% of the ball against a usual 56.9%. Their expected goals still came to 2.63, above the 2.14 they usually create on the road. Five goals from that is nearly double their away average of 2.6 goals per match, so the finishing and the places they shot from did the rest.

Udinese usually concede chances worth 2.16 at home, and this time the figure ran higher, which is why the defensive numbers look so uncomfortable. Roma also had 11 of their shots inside the penalty area, against eight for Udinese, and that gap matters more than the total shot count. The league average is 3.3 goals per match, and this game produced seven, which is more than double that average for the referee's whistle.

Bryan Cristante was the figure at the heart of it. He scored, provided an assist and won six duels, and his rating of 8.6 reflects a busy evening in the middle. Matias Soulé created two of the goals, setting up Mora and Ndicka, while Malen had five attempts, three of them on target, before he was replaced in the 59th minute.

Roma now sit third in the table with 21 points from nine games, having won six and drawn three without defeat away from home. Udinese are 17th with five points, having won one of their nine matches at home, lost six and conceded 18 goals there. Roma's form on the road and Udinese's record at the Bluenergy Stadium are the two lines this result leaves behind.

Player of the matchB. Cristante1 goal · 1 assist8.6

M. Soulé2 assists7.8

D. Malen1 goal7.8

N. Zaniolo1 goal7.5