Gianluca Mancini headed in a late equaliser as AS Roma stalled Serie A title rivals Inter Milan with a 2-2 draw in Rome on Sunday.
Antonio Conte’s second-placed Inter lost further ground after their midweek defeat to Sampdoria to drop three points behind leaders AC Milan who beat Torino 2-0 on Saturday.
Roma remain a further three points behind Inter in third.
Champions Juventus also benefited from the stalemate, powering up to fourth with a 3-1 win over 10-man Sassuolo.
Juventus are just a point behind Roma after claiming a third consecutive win for the first time this season.
“It was important to give continuity and win tonight, because otherwise the match played on Wednesday at San Siro was useless,” said Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo.
Inter, which plays Juventus next weekend, remained three points above third-place Roma. Juventus can move to within four points of Inter — with a match in hand — if it wins at home to Sassuolo later, with the visitors surprisingly only a point behind the Bianconeri in the table.
“Let’s not forget that Roma are fighting for the same thing we are,” Inter coach Antonio Conte said. “Going away to the third-place team in the league and playing like this means we’re an organized and strong team.
AC Milan defeated Torino 2-0 on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the standings. Champions Juventus ended Milan’s 27-match unbeaten run going back to March last weekend.
But Rafael Leao and a Franck Kessie penalty in the first half ensured Milan moved four points ahead of Inter who travel to third-placed Roma on Sunday.
Atalanta moved up to fourth ahead of Juventus after Josip Ilicic scored and set up two others goals in a 4-1 win over midtable Benevento.
