Roma snatches 2-2 draw against title rival Inter Milan

Gianluca Mancini’s late goal saw Roma snatch a 2-2 draw at home to title rival Inter Milan on Sunday and dent its opponent’s Serie A aspirations.

Mancini headed in the equalizer four minutes from time after goals from Milan Škriniar and Achraf Hakimi appeared to have handed Inter the win. Lorenzo Pellegrini had scored the opener for Roma.

The result left Inter three points behind Serie A leader AC Milan, which won 2-0 at Benevento on Saturday. Both Milan teams are looking to end Juventus’ nine-year grip on the title.

Roma's Gianluca Mancini, second from left, is celebrated by teammates after he scored his side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

Inter remained three points above third-place Roma. Juventus can move to within a point of Roma if it wins at home to Sassuolo later, with the visitors surprisingly only a point behind the Bianconeri in the table.

The match in the Italian capital was a direct battle for second spot and Inter threatened to take an early lead but Romelu Lukaku’s header was acrobatically fingertipped over the bar by Pau López.

Instead it was Roma that took the lead in the 17th minute when Pellegrini’s shot took a slight deflection to go into the bottom left corner after a swift counterattack.

Roma's Gianluca Mancini is celebrated by teammates after he scored his side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

Lautaro Martínez had a goal ruled out for offside shortly before the break but Inter has often performed better in the second half this season and so it proved again.

Inter went close several times before Škriniar headed in a corner in the 56th. Hakimi fired Inter in front seven minutes later when he collected a pass on the right, cut inside and curled a strike into the far top corner.

Inter appeared to be heading for a valuable win but Roma upped the pressure in the dying minutes. Mancini had an effort well saved by Samir Handanović but the defender headed in the resulting corner for the equalizer.

Inter Milan's Achraf Hakimi celebrates after scoring his side's 2nd goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Inter Milan's Achraf Hakimi, second from right, celebrates after scoring his side's 2nd goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar, center right, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar, top left, scores his side's first goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini, left, celebrates with his teammate Leonardo Spinazzola after scoring his side's first goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan, at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (Luciano RossiLaPresse via AP)

Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini, second from right, celebrates with his teammates after he scored his side's first goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan, at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, center, tries to score past Roma's Gianluca Mancini, right, and Roma's goalkeeper Pau Lopez during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan, at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)