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What you just witnessed was a complete evisceration of Fiorentina at the hands of Francesco Totti.
It wasn't the most one sided Roman affair of the season, but the difference was plain and simple; we have Francesco Totti and you don't.
Take a look around the internet and you'll see that, by most measures, Totti turned in a nearly flawless performance this evening, temporarily launching Roma into fourth place.
So how did Totti turn in his perfect 10?
- His 87 touches were the most of any man on the pitch, 15 more than any Viola player
- He drew 8 fouls, most of the match by a wide margin, the next closest was Federico Balzaretti with a measly 3 fouls
- Three shots, two on target, two goals and one assist to boot
- His four key passes were second only to Miralem Pjanic
- His three successful dribbles were a match high
- His 59 passes were a Roma and high and two short of Alberto Aquilani's match high
Oh, and there was also the small matter of this:
No matter how you dissect his game, be it through cold, calculating statistics or sheer, unadulterated Roman reverence, the lesson, as always, where there's a Totti, there's a way.
The fact that he is playing such an advanced position at his age is a wonder in itself, but to do it as magnificently as he has is truly astonishing. They say the great irony of being an athlete is that once your mind masters the game, your body falters. Time has not yet devoured Totti's vision, creativity, precision or his passion for the game and his place in Roman lore is as large as ever.
The tome of Francesco Totti is still being written.