Serie A Review: Totti row overshadows Roma win

Roma’s 5-0 victory over Palermo may have lifted them above Inter and into fourth place in Serie A, but it was Francesco Totti who captured most of the attention at the Stadio Olimpico.

The 39-year-old club captain attended the game despite having earlier been sent home from the squad’s training base over comments he made regarding his future and relationship with coach Luciano Spalletti.

Totti, who has been at the club since joining the youth team in 1989, was cheered by the home fans as he took his seat in the stands to witness a resounding win over the relegation-threatened Sicilian side.

Edin Dzeko helped himself to a brace, as did Mohamed Salah, while Seydou Keita also found the net early in the second half.

Fiorentina, meanwhile, maintained their push for Champions League qualification with a dramatic 3-2 win over Atalanta in Bergamo.

The visitors looked to be cruising to victory after Cristian Tello added to Matias Fernandez’s earlier effort to make it 2-0 with just nine minutes left.

In a dramatic finale, however, the hosts hit back through Andrea Conti, before Nikola Kalinic restored Fiorentina’s lead on 87 minutes.

Mauricio Pinilla reduced the deficit again in stoppage time, but Edy Reja’s men could not find an equaliser and lost Conti to a second yellow card seconds from the end.

The win leaves Fiorentina third, six points behind leaders Juventus and four back from second-placed Napoli.

Elsewhere, Sassuolo ended their run of seven games without a win by coming from behind to beat Empoli 3-2.

Gregoire Defrel scored twice for the hosts, with Domenico Berardi adding the third in a game that saw both teams finish with ten men.

Genoa moved six points clear of the bottom three courtesy of a 2-1 win over Udinese, for whom veteran striker Antonio Di Natale missed a last-minute penalty.

Iraqi defender Ali Adnan gave the visitors the lead at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, but Alessio Cerci equalised for the hosts from the spot and Diego Laxalt bagged what proved to the winner on 70 minutes.

Carpi kept their slender survival hopes alive by picking up a battling point against Torino.

Vid Belec made several fine saves for the visitors, who ended a run of three consecutive defeats with a 0-0 draw at the Stadio Olimpico.

The second scoreless draw of the day was played out between Frosinone and Lazio, with the result leaving the side from the capital 11 points adrift of fifth-placed Inter in the final Europa League qualification berth.