Pellegrini: To win my first derby like that is so special

Speaking to Roma Radio on Sunday morning, the midfielder reflected on his important opening goal – which saw him steer home inside the box with his heel, despite having his back to goal.

“My instinct told me that ‘this is the only thing you can do’: the ball was loose, I saw out of the corner of my eye where the defence was and so I tried it,” Pellegrini told Roma Radio.

“I told myself, ‘I hope this works’ … and fortunately it did!”

The No. 7 had only entered the game 10 minutes earlier, due to an injury to Javier Pastore, but preceded to settle into the rhythm of the game almost immediately – despite being asked to play in a slightly more advanced role to his usual position.

“I felt good, coming on. It can be tough, for us Romans the derby is a different sort of game – but yesterday out there I really felt at ease,” he added.

“It was amazing, especially as it was also my debut in the derby. To win, to score a goal, to produce a great team performance… it was really special."

On his playing position, he added: “It was a different role for me, but there are a lot of similarities with the mezz’ala position. Playing as the trequartista means you have a bit more freedom to get involved, and can be a bit more varied in the defensive phase to.

"I like playing there. Every role has its different demands, but I like playing in that spot – I did it at Sassuolo at times and it was good.”

After his goal Pellegrini continued to be one of the most impressive performers on the pitch, also providing the assist for Federico Fazio’s late clincher. He also stood over the free-kick that Aleksandar Kolarov would end up smashing home to restore Roma’s advantage – but was happy to admit there was little prospect of him getting to take that opportunity himself.

“Looking at it sensibly and logically, we can say there is less than a 5% chance of me taking that free-kick!” he joked.

“From that sort of spot it needs a shot like Kolarov’s. He deserves it, I’m very pleased for him, beyond being a great player he is a really great person. His goal came five minutes after their equaliser and it had given them more belief; so it was vital for us.”

He added: “I think you can see with the group, we are a really united squad even in the tough moments, and that is something great to experience from inside the group – especially for us young players that need to learn.

"The focus and spirit of Kolarov and De Rossi, who played despite being not 100%, is something we can all learn from.”