Roma took a while to break Salernitana down, but eventually ran out 4-0 winners with a Lorenzo Pellegrini double and Tammy Abraham stunner.
The Giallorossi had won all three games between Serie A and the Europa Conference League under Jose Mourinho, but Carles Perez stepped in for suspended Nicolò Zaniolo, with Chris Smalling and Leonardo Spinazzola injured. Salernitana had their first top flight home match in over 20 years, but Stefan Strandberg sat out a ban and new buy Nwankwo Simy was not yet ready to start.
Matias Vina stung the goalkeeper’s gloves in the opening minutes and Vid Belec fingertipped a Gianluca Mancini header over the bar, as it immediately became clear Salernitana were prepared to defend very deep and counter.
Abraham’s header wasn’t far off target from the Rick Karsdorp cross, so was a Carles Perez scorcher.
The siege finally paid off with a great bit of technique from Lorenzo Pellegrini, who controlled the Vina pass with his right boot, let it bounce and drilled in with his left from the tightest of angles.
Moments later, Roma scored with a wonderful team move, Abraham for Henrikh Mkhitaryan nutmegging a defender for Jordan Veretout to spring the offside trap and beat the goalkeeper from 12 yards.
Yet Salernitana should’ve scored a couple of minutes after that, Federico Bonazzoli firing wide from a Joel Obi flick-on.
Belec made an acrobatic double save on Abraham’s header and the Veretout follow-up, but could do nothing when Abraham swung the right boot at a Perez assist from the edge of the box, smashing it in off the inside of the far post.
Pellegrini stung Belec’s gloves again and got the fourth goal by bending a right-foot curler into the far top corner from the edge of the box.
Salernitana 0-4 Roma
Pellegrini 48, 79 (R), Veretout 52 (R), Abraham 69 (R)