Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri was delighted with the manner of victory over Monza.

Luka Romero proved the matchwinner on the night.

Sarri said, “On a psychological level, clearly this was the most difficult match, coming after the tension of the derby, so there was the elevated risk of a collapse in intensity. We did have that for a while in the opening half-hour, struggling to raise the tempo and press, but fortunately we got out of it and went on to win.

“The table is worth nothing at this stage of the season, so we won't look at it. What gives us hope is that we won in a situation where last season we often tended to struggle."

On matchwinner Romero, Sarri added: “He has played even at the age of 16. I try not to talk about him too much, he is working well and improving, so this is the kind of situation where we would do him a favour to not talk too much about him at this moment. He's got a good head on his shoulders, though, and is on the right track."