Having lost four of their previous six league games (W2), Roma kicked off outside the top four for the first time since September. Determined to recapture their early-season form, the Giallorossi started on the front foot against Lecce, and their positive approach was rewarded with a breakthrough in the 14th minute.
Paulo Dybala showed impressive vision to pick out Evan Ferguson on the edge of the box, and the Irishman slotted a clinical low finish beyond Wladimiro Falcone to score his third SA goal of the season.
Winners in all 10 prior league games in which they’d opened the scoring this season, Roma looked to press home their advantage as the first half progressed.
But clear-cut chances came at a premium up to half time, with Bryan Cristante seeing a dangerous effort blocked and Falcone reacting smartly to thwart a close-range strike from Ferguson.
Having created next to nothing in a lacklustre first-half showing, Lecce improved after the break, as substitute Santiago Pierotti fired wide when well-placed in the box.
Grateful for that reprieve, the visitors hit back with a couple of opportunities of their own, but Wesley França and Dybala were ultimately wayward with their finishing.
Undeterred, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men found the all-important second goal with time ticking into the final 20 minutes, as Artem Dovbyk guided Niccolò Pisilli’s cross-shot into the net from six yards.
That killed off any hopes of a comeback from Lecce, with Eusebio Di Francesco’s side unable to create anything of note against a stubborn Roma defence. As such, the Giallorossi eased through the closing stages to secure a comfortable three points in Apulia, ending a run of three successive SA away defeats.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Zeki Çelik (AS Roma)