Lukaku off mark as Roma match Serie A record with win

Roma won for the first time this Serie A season as Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala were among the scorers in a 7-0 rout of Empoli.

Lukaku, who joined on loan from Chelsea this summer, scored his first goal for the club with a composed finish.

The result means Jose Mourinho’s men have climbed from 18th to 12th.

The home side ran up a comfortable first-half lead thanks to a Dybala penalty, Renato Sanches’ header and an Alberto Grassi own-goal.

Argentina international Dybala added a classy fourth after the break and hit the crossbar with a free-kick before Bryan Cristante struck from long range.

Lukaku then added the sixth and Gianluca Mancini headed in to complete the rout.

Manager Jose Mourinho and his players had endured criticism after earning a solitary point from their first three matches, with their form hindered by injuries to the likes of Chris Smalling, Houssem Aouar, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tammy Abraham.

Belgium international Lukaku joined Portugal international Sanches, signed from Paris St-Germain in August, in scoring his first goal for last season’s Europa League finalists.

Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun also made his debut for the club, replacing Lukaku late on.

The result matches the eight previous 7-0 wins teams have managed in Serie A since the competition introduced three points for a win in 1994.

One of those also came at the Stadio Olimpico in November 2006, when Roma hammered Catania under the guidance of current Italy manager Luciano Spalletti.

No Italian team has won by more than seven goals since Juventus thumped Inter Milan 9-1 at home in April 1961, and Roma were responsible for an equally emphatic hammering when they embarrassed Napoli 8-0 two years earlier.

Roma also won 9-0 at home to Cremonese in October 1929 but the overall top flight record remains Torino’s 10-0 win at home to Alessandria in May 1948.

Mourinho, who had emphasised Roma’s potential but bemoaned their absentees before the game, last triumphed by such a large scoreline when he led Real Madrid to an 8-1 home win over Almeria in May 2011.