Roma’s top four hopes remain firmly intact after the Giallorossi saw out a 1-0 victory over Genoa, in a match that felt like a family reunion of sorts with several former Roma players returning to the capital. Luckily for Paulo Fonseca’s side, none of Roma's old friends came back to the Olimpico with a vengeance and a Gianluca Mancini header was enough to get Roma over the line.

The win meant that Roma was able to capitalize on the two big head-to-heads this past weekend: Juventus vs. Lazio and Inter Milan vs. Atalanta. Inter may be out of reach at this point, but Roma is firmly entrenched in a battle for the top four with the other three clubs.

So, just whose failings did Roma capitalize on? Read on to find out how it all shook out on matchday 26 as we peruse the peninsula.

Serie A Matchday 26 Results

Juve Lashes Lazio

Juventus 3, Lazio 1

In a match that Romanisti would’ve been hoping for a draw, Juventus showed everyone why they are the nine-time defending champs. Lazio has been a thorn in Juve’s side for a couple of seasons now and it looked like this had the makings of another positive result for the Biancoceleste.

The visitors jumped out to an early lead in Turin through an early Joaquin Correa goal in the 14th minute. And then it looked like fate was firmly on Lazio’s side when Wesley Hoedt got away with what looked like an obvious handball in the 25th minute.

That would be the end of the line for Lazio’s luck though, as Adrien Rabiot leveled the score in the 39th minute to send the teams to the locker room level at one. After that, it would only take Alvaro Morata 15 minutes to kill off the match for Juve. The Spaniard scored from open play in the 57th minute and again from the penalty spot three minutes later.

With the win, the Bianconeri remain two points ahead of Roma in third place. Meanwhile, the loss leaves Lazio in seventh place, seven points behind Roma. Both teams have a match in hand on the Giallorossi.

Injury Riddled Milan Victorious in Verona

Hellas Verona 0, AC Milan 2

This one looked like it had upset potential written all over it as second-place Milan traveled to the Bentigodi. The Rossoneri were on a poor run of form and missing several key players. However, Stefano Pioli’s side limited Verona to just one shot on target and found goals from some unlikely sources.

It was No Ibra, No problem when reserve midfielder Rade Krunic stepped over a free kick in the 27th minute and curled it top corner. The goal gave Milan the confidence it needed to see out the match and Diogo Dalot scored an unlikely goal of his own in the 50th minute. The Rossoneri only had three shots on target, but they were efficient—scoring on 2 of 3.

The win means Milan remains second, six points behind Inter at the top. Roma remains six points behind the Rossoneri.

Insigne Brace Brushes Aside Bologna

Napoli 3, Bologna 1

Another one of the struggling top seven sides secured a vital win this weekend when Napoli won at home over Bologna. Gennaro Gattuso’s side has been up and down over the last month and has seen its top four hopes begin to flounder just a bit.

With an eight-day stretch that will see Napoli travel to Milan, Juve, and Roma this was a must-win for the Partenopei. And that’s just what Lorenzo Insigne ensured his side would do. The hometown hero scored in just the eighth minute to get Napoli off on the right foot.

Bologna would hold out for a while after that, even winning the possession battle. However, in the 65th minute, Victor Osimhen made it 2-0. Roberto Soriano responded for Bologna moments later to cut the lead in half. But, it was Insigne who canceled out that goal in the 76th minute to put the match out of reach.

The win means Napoli remains four points behind Roma with a match in hand ahead of their meeting in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, the Giallorossi will be keeping an eye on the Partenopei’s matches against Milan and Juve.

Inter Strengthens Scudetto Claim

Inter Milan 1, Atalanta 0

In Italy’s version of Monday Night Football, league leaders Inter hosted Atalanta. In the most anticipated match of the weekend, Antonio Conte’s side only needed one goal to secure all three points.

Inter was efficient on the night as Milan Skriniar’s goal was the only shot the hosts put on target. But, the Nerazzurri defended so well that it didn’t matter. Atalanta took 13 shots, but only three were on target.

The win means that Inter still leads city rivals Milan by six at the top of the table. Meanwhile, the loss by Atalanta means that Roma leapfrogs La Dea for fourth place. With a dozen matches to play, the Giallorossi now control their own destiny in the race for fourth.

Other Results

• Benevento 1, Spezia 1
• Udinese 2, Sassuolo 0
• Crotone 4, Torino 2
• Fiorentina 3, Parma 3
• Sampdoria 2, Cagliari 2

FiveThirtyEight Top Four Probabilities

fivethirtyeight.com

Despite moving into fourth place ahead of Atalanta, the Giallorossi didn’t see much movement in their top four probability. The fivethirtyeight.com metrics increased Roma’s chances of a top four finish by just one percent to 39% and still projects the Lupi to finish 5th.

Despite its loss to Inter, Atalanta is still projected to finish fourth but did see its probability drop from 70 to 62%. Lazio’s loss to Juve leaves the Biancoceleste’s top four chances teetering on the brink at 10%. The biggest winners in the rankings this weekend were Juve and Milan, who benefited from La Dea’s loss as well.

Also worth noting is the fact that Inter is now an 86% favorite to win the title.