Roma edge Parma 2-1 to stay level with Serie A leaders Napoli.

AS Roma battled past Parma with a 2-1 win at home on Wednesday, thanks to second-half goals from Mario Hermoso and Artem Dovbyk, keeping them on pace with Serie A leaders Napoli.

Both Roma and Napoli now sit on 21 points from nine matches, after Napoli’s narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce on Tuesday. Parma, meanwhile, remain 15th with just seven points.

Roma thought they’d struck first through Matias Soule just before halftime, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside after Parma keeper Zion Suzuki’s line of sight was blocked.

The breakthrough finally came in the 63rd minute when Hermoso rose highest to nod in from a corner. Dovbyk then made it 2-0 in the 81st, pouncing on a rebound to smash home. Parma pulled one back late through Alessandro Circati in the 86th, but couldn’t find an equalizer.

“Three important and good points,” Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini told DAZN. “We struggled early, but once we adjusted, we controlled the match and created chances.”