Daniele De Rossi apologises for his involvement in Genoa defeat

Former Italy international Daniele De Rossi has apologised to AS Roma after he was sent off during Roma's 1-1 draw versus Genoa last weekend. The Giallorossi went on course to set a record number of away wins, but they were held to a draw by Genoa courtesy of De Rossi's discipline. The experienced midfielder was involved in an incident with Gianluca Lapadula from a corner where he had slapped in his face, and the referee with the use of VAR sent off De Rossi for a red card offence while issuing a penalty which Lapadula dually converted in the 70th minute.

As a result, the Capital outfit saw their 12-match away winning streak since February 2017 come to an end. Speaking after the game, De Rossi, who received the 15th red card of his career, said: "I have to apologise to my teammates, the coach and the fans. It’s a moment that I’m incredibly sorry about. There’s not much to say: we were tussling, I tried to block him with an arm – the footage is ugly."

Meanwhile, manager Eusebio Di Francesco appeared to be less critical of the situation, although he admits that De Ross should have known about the newest technology available, he said: "With the technology, we have nowadays, you don’t get away with that kind of thing. Daniele is not a youngster and he knows that. He’s able to take responsibility. But he’s part of a team and when we draw or lose, the loss goes for everyone, not an individual."

The draw sees Roma eight points adrift of leaders Napoli at the top of the table, although they have a game in hand over Sampdoria. Roma now have a relatively easier fixture against SPAL in midweek, and they will fancy their chances to keep up with Inter Milan and Napoli, who are still unbeaten in this season's Serie A. The pair have kept a meaningful distance from champions Juventus in the past couple of weeks, and Max Allegri's side are unlikely to have an easy route to the Scudetto, which they have dominated and won in six consecutive seasons.