Evan Ferguson grabs goal and assist as Roma beat Genoa to go fourth in Serie A

Republic of Ireland striker Ferguson pounced on a parried shot to poke the ball home and make it 3-0 just past the half-hour mark.

Evan Ferguson of AS Roma celebrates. Pic: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

Evan Ferguson grabbed another Roma goal as Gian Piero Gasperini’s outfit scored three times in a one-sided first half to beat Genoa 3-1 on Monday and move into fourth place in Serie A.

Matías Soulé’s neatly taken goal after 13 minutes was followed quickly by an opportunistic strike by Manu Koné - assisted by Ferguson - as the home side overran its lowly opponent.

Republic of Ireland striker Ferguson then pounced on a parried shot to poke the ball home and make it 3-0 just past the half-hour mark.

Jeff Ekhator got a late consolation goal for Genoa with a deflected shot.

Roma had been at risk of falling out of touch with the leading pack after only one win in its last four games.

The result lifts Gasperini’s side to 33 points, one point behind Napoli, two behind AC Milan and three behind leader Inter, although all three have a game in hand.

Gasperini said post-match: "We started off making a few technical mistakes, but then we moved well, creating plenty of chances. We were always dangerous.

"Ferguson played every game, except for the matches when he was injured. Dovbyk played every game too. Maybe not from the start or for 90 minutes, but we still lost certain matches anyway. It depends on how you want to read it—the point isn't that. 

"The point is that in this team, you can't get the attitude and intensity wrong, because this is a team that goes hard, and when it goes hard, it gets results.

"Dybala plays if he's not injured. Roma doesn't have any other players of this quality. When he's maybe not in top shape, he doesn't respond as well as he did tonight, but right now, in this team, if he doesn't have to sit out, he plays.

"There are margins for improvement in all the players. But you also have to look at the glass half full. We can't always focus on what's missing. Koné is a French international, a starter, he has important qualities. Of course, if he scored goals often too, he'd be elsewhere..."

Genoa, meanwhile, remains 17th in the 20-team league and just two points above the relegation zone after its third loss in a row.