Lorenzo Pellegrini scored in the second minute and Paolo Dybala got a brace as Roma beat Cagliari 4-0 in Serie A to extend coach Daniele De Rossi’s dream start.

Pellegrini’s goal, a close-range stab from a corner kick, was his third in three league games and helped to lift Roma two points above Bologna into fifth place.

The midfielder also set up Dybala 21 minutes later for him to hammer home a second.

Dybala scored the third from the penalty spot six minutes into the second half.

Dean Huijsen, the 19-year-old Dutch defender on loan from Juventus, got his first goal for the club when he headed the fourth from a corner kick just five minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Pellegrini’s opportunist early strike marked the first time in his career he has scored in three consecutive games but the happiest man in the stadium might have been De Rossi.

The win was the fourth in a row for De Rossi, who replaced Jose Mourinho in January and it further endeared him to a home crowd which loved him during his 17 years there as a player.

A big test awaits Roma next weekend when it takes on league leader Inter Milan at home. Inter was four points clear of second-placed Juventus.