Roma climbed to second in the Serie A standings tonight thanks to a 3-0 win over luckless Cagliari.

A Francesco Totti penalty midway through the first half and a goal from Simone Perrotta halfway through the second put the Giallorossi in command of a game which had been dominated by the visitors.

Jeremy Menez added a third in stoppage time to seal a win which lifted Claudio Ranieri's side above Inter Milan, Lazio and Napoli to within three points of leaders AC Milan.

Elsewhere, Palermo moved level on points with sixth-placed Juventus with a narrow but deserved 1-0 win over Brescia at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

The hosts dominated possession against a Brescia team who had come for a point, but had to wait until the 86th minute before finally making the breakthrough thanks to Cesare Bovo.

Parma climbed six points clear of the relegation zone as two second-half goals gave them a 2-0 victory over lowly Catania at Stadio Ennio Tardini.

Antonio Candreva grabbed the opener in the 57th minute and the second arrived just four minutes later as Sebastian Giovinco fired home a curling effort from distance.

It made for a miserable first game in charge for Catania boss Diego Simeone, who replaced Marco Giampaolo earlier this week.