AS Roma coach Daniele de Rossi was delighted after their 1-0 Europa League win against AC Milan.

Gianluca Mancini was again the matchwinner as Roma took control of this quarterfinal tie.

De Rossi said: “I thought for 60-70 minutes, the way we controlled the ball was really good. We were drawing them out and then creating spaces to run into.

“I think it was Romelu's best performance since I have been here. We tend to judge strikers on whether they score goals, but he fought hard, held up the ball, did everything I want to see from him..

“Milan have that strength down the left, which has allowed them to dominate games in recent years, so it felt right to make changes. We usually have Paulo Dybala there, but Bryan Cristante helped too and was always ready to double up on Reijnders.

“You want players who are open to different things, who don't get pig-headed about certain roles. When I told El Shaarawy I wanted him on the right, his body language was immediately positive. I knew he'd do well."