Empoli 1 Roma 3: El Shaarawy brace sends Roma third

Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice as in-form Roma recorded a 3-1 victory at Empoli in Serie A. Luciano Spalletti's side made it six league wins on the bounce to climb to third, with Miralem Pjanic also on target.

El Shaarawy curled in a stunning 25-yard strike after just five minutes, only for Ervin Zukanovic's own goal to level matters.

Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice as in-form Roma recorded a 3-1 victory at Empoli in Serie A.

Luciano Spalletti's side made it six league wins on the bounce to climb to third, with Miralem Pjanic also on target.

El Shaarawy curled in a stunning 25-yard strike after just five minutes, only for Ervin Zukanovic's own goal to level matters.

But Pjanic restored the visitor's advantage before the interval, the Bosnian rifling home at the second attempt after his free-kick was blocked.

A tap-in from El Shaarawy wrapped up the points with 16 minutes remaining, while Mario Rui saw red for the host at the death after losing his cool with Antonio Rudiger.