It took merely 63 seconds for the hosts to break the deadlock, as Lorenzo Pellegrini stabbed home from close range after a poorly defended corner fell his way at the near post.
That very much set the tone for the evening, with Bryan Cristante soon hitting the post before Paulo Dybala doubled the lead with a delightfully worked goal, converting from inside the box after Romelu Lukaku had cleverly stepped over Pellegrini’s low pass.
At the other end, Claudio Ranieri looked on sullenly as his side offered very little to this point, perhaps unsurprisingly so given they came into this on a 16-game winless run away from home in the top flight.
Cagliari grew into proceedings though, with Andre Petagna wasting a pair of chances and Rui Patrício making a fine stop to deny Gianluca Lapadula, who then thought he had won a penalty for his side, only for the decision to be overturned following a VAR review when it was deemed he had stood on defender Diego Llorente’s ankle.
Having received that lifeline before the break, Dybala duly dispatched a spot-kick of his own following the interval after Cristante’s flick-on clattered into Andrea Petagna’s arm from point-blank range.
Teenage defender Dean Huijsen then netted his first Roma goal as he converted with a towering header when meeting Leandro Paredes’ corner.
The hosts were far from content with their lead, and Dybala missed a couple of chances to complete his hat-trick, while Lukaku, desperate for his goal, had a thumping drive saved at the near post.
Substitute Edoardo Bove then had a strike ruled out for offside as De Rossi used the closing minutes as a chance to bring some of his young guns off the bench. The result means Cagliari, in their first season back in Serie A, drop back into the relegation zone after their heaviest defeat of the season, whereas Roma, who remain unbeaten in the last nine meetings, move into fifth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Paulo Dybala (AS Roma)
