(Reuters) – Third-placed AS Roma secured a comfortable 3-0 home win against Udinese thanks to goals from Edoardo Bove, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tammy Abraham in Serie A on Sunday.
Roma now have 56 points from 30 games, five adrift of second-placed Lazio and three above AC Milan in fourth.
They took the lead in the 37th minute through Bove who tucked the ball away after Bryan Cristante’s penalty for handball by Roberto Pereyra came back off the post.
Captain Pellegrini doubled Roma’s lead with a precise strike into the top left corner after being nicely teed up inside the box by striker Andrea Belotti 10 minutes into the second half.
Udinese could have pulled one back through a penalty awarded for Gianluca Mancini’s handball but goalkeeper Rui Patricio dived full-length to save Pereyra’s spot kick in the 69th.
Roma substitute Abraham wrapped up the win in stoppage time with a header.
Udinese, missing their season’s top scorer Beto with flu, battled Roma for possession but lacked sharpness in attack and failed to create any real danger in front of Patricio’s goal.
Jose Mourinho’s Roma side will look to recover from a goal down in their Europa League quarter-final when they host Feyenoord in the second leg on Thursday before travelling to Atalanta in Serie A on April 24.
Udinese are 12th on 39 points and host second-bottom Cremonese next Sunday.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
