Roma thrash Inter

The result leaves Inter with a mountain to climb if they are to win a historic double, while Roma went some way to banishing memories of their 7-1 loss at Manchester United in the quarter finals of the Champions League.

Roma got off to the perfect start, Totti controlling and scoring from nine yards after being set up by Rodrigo Taddei on the right in the first minute. And they doubled their lead five minuets later when De Rossi inadvertently deflected Philippe Mexes' volley after Inter failed to clear a corner.

Roma missed a chance to make it three before ten minutes when Perrotta and Totti both contrived to miss Panucci's low centre when in acres of space in the Inter box, but Perrotta made no mistake on the quarter hour when he slid in to convert Christian Chivu's low cross from the left.

Inter were reeling but got back into the tie just five minutes later, a mistake from David Pizarro letting in Crespo, who rounded Doni and finished with aplomb. But Roma restored their three-goal advantage when Panucci again burst through on the right to send in a cross that came back off Dejan Stankovic and into the path of Amantino Mancini who made it 4-1.

Totti went close twice before the break, while Stankovic hit the post with an effort from the edge of the box, and the second half started in a similar vein, Adriano shooting from distance and forcing a good save from Doni diving low to his left.

But Panucci extended the margin to 5-1 when he rose to head a Pizarro corner into the top right on 54 minutes, a goal which inadvertently led to Inter's second of the night, the homes defence asleep when the Serie A champions raced forward through Maicon, who crossed to the unmarked Crespo who completed his brace with a trademark header.

Totti somehow failed to get a sixth for Roma on 64 minutes when his low angled drive was deflected by Marco Materazzi and seemed destined to nestle in the bottom-left, but Toldo somehow managed to tip the ball around the post for a corner.

Mancini then sent a shot just wide after a classy piece of Roma play that included a step-over from Taddei, while Alvaro Recoba - on for the disinterested Adriano - forced a good save by Doni.

Roma added to their tally late-on when Panucci tapped in from close-range after Toldo could only parry a Totti free-kick which swerved lethally just in front of the Inter keeper, and the hosts took a seemingly unassailable lead into the second leg on May 17th.