Roma hold Inter in goalless stalemate

Inter created the best chances during the match, but some fantastic goalkeeping from both teams kept the ball out of the net.

With Inter coach Gian Piero Gasperini going into the match knowing another defeat would probably cost him his job, he had to make sure the team played at their best.

Even though his team did not win the match, he was very happy with the performance of the players.

"I saw a good Inter that created plenty of chances," Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia. "We played against a great team that conceded very little in terms of space.

"Two nights ago we played in a hard-fought match [against Trabzonspor that Inter lost 1-0], but tonight we have seen an improvement in our display."

Gasperini then analysed the performances of the personnel on show and admitted that the displays of several key Inter players were not up to their high standards.

"The first part of the match saw [Yuto] Nagatomo get into great spaces for us, but then we had to raise our defensive game and stifle [Daniele] De Rossi," he explained.

"[Diego] Forlan did a lot but [Diego] Milito did not offer much. I introduced [Sulley] Muntari because I felt we needed another midfielder, as [Wesley] Sneijder was bright but he struggled in the middle.

"After I made those changes, we had the best opportunities, and even though we didn't score, let's treat this match as a positive,” Concluded Gasperini.

Roma coach Luis Enrique who is also under pressure to get his team on track was also happy with his team performance.

“Our character was the most important thing, as from the first minute we went to pressure them high up the field. I am happy with this result, though it could’ve been better.

“The results help us to work in a more relaxed manner and you can see the team is improving,” said the Spanish Coach.

“All the players did well. This is the team I want, one with competition, hunger and a desire to win. I don’t like to single out individuals.

“I expect the fans who were cheering us on tonight will go home a little happier.”

“Towards the end of the match we were a little tired, so made some mistakes on easy passes. When we are in better shape, we won’t make these errors.

“The players worked with the right attitude and I’m especially happy for them, as they are turning this work into points and that will bring us the confidence we need,” concluded the Roma coach.

In the earlier match, Cagliari went top of the table with their 2-1 win over Novara.

Goals from Thiago Ribeiro and Joaquin Larrivey made sure of the three points for Massimo Ficcadenti, who will be delighted to have seen his team continue grinding out results, despite Takayuki Morimoto's late consolation.