Chris Smalling headed Roma to a 1-0 win over Cremonese on Monday but Jose Mourinho’s side is sweating over starlet Nicolo Zaniolo after already losing Georginio Wijnaldum to a fractured shin.
England international Smalling met Lorenzo Pellegrini’s corner in the 65th minute with a perfect header to send a wave of relief around a packed Stadio Olimpico.
The hosts missed a series of chances and only have Smalling’s goal to show for any performance in which they had 27 shots, 12 on target.
The 32-year-old dedicated his winner to Wijnaldum, who signed from Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
Roma has a maximum of six points from their first two games after a summer full of optimism following their Conference League triumph last season and an impressive transfer window which also brought in Paulo Dybala.