Torino continued to struggle against one of their least favourite opponents as Roma claimed a 2-0 Serie A victory, recording their 72nd top-flight win in the fixture and extending their run to 17 competitive away matches without a draw.

Still hurting from a midweek Coppa Italia elimination at the hands of Torino, Roma showed clear intent from the opening whistle and started the contest on the front foot. Despite enjoying plenty of early possession, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side initially found it difficult to turn control into clear chances, until a moment of quality altered the complexion of the match midway through the first half.

Making his Roma debut, Donyell Malen thought he had announced himself in style when he cut in from the left and curled a low effort into the bottom corner. However, his celebrations were short-lived as VAR ruled the Dutchman offside in the build-up.

That warning went unheeded by Torino, who fell behind moments later. This time, Malen’s debut goal stood, as Paulo Dybala slipped a perfectly weighted pass into his path inside the box, allowing the forward to calmly slot into the far corner and give Roma a deserved lead.

Torino bore little resemblance to the side that had scored three times against Roma in midweek and offered minimal attacking threat before the interval. Head coach Marco Baroni attempted to change the momentum at the break by introducing Cesare Casadei, and the substitute almost made an immediate impact when he released Cyril Ngonge through on goal. Evan Ndicka’s last-ditch intervention, however, denied Torino a clear shooting opportunity.

Roma appeared content to protect their narrow advantage rather than push aggressively for a second goal, but Dybala soon decided otherwise. The Argentine was first denied by an excellent one-handed save from Alberto Paleari, before reacting quickest to turn Gianluca Mancini’s cross home on the rebound to double Roma’s lead.

With the pressure lifted, Roma played with greater freedom and could have added further gloss to the scoreline when Malen struck the side netting. Torino’s best chance arrived 10 minutes from time, as Che Adams sent an effort narrowly wide of the far post, but the hosts ultimately lacked the cutting edge to mount a comeback.

Roma comfortably saw out the closing stages to seal a fifth defeat in six Serie A home matches for Torino. The victory marked Roma’s third consecutive clean sheet for the first time this season and opened up a three-point cushion inside the top four, underlining their growing momentum in the league.