Evan Ferguson has his first competitive goal for Roma.
And the wild celebrations helped leave his coach sounding hoarse.
The on-loan Albion striker went off the bench and scored his team’s second in a 3-1 win at Cremonese which put them provisionally top of Serie A ahead of Sunday night’s Milan derby.
Ferguson calmly took a touch amid a rather messy penalty area scene, then curled a precise right-foot effort inside the post.
It was his first league goal since putting Albion into a 2-0 lead at home to wolves a little more than one year ago
Unlike the Seagulls that day, Roma protected and improved their lead.
Jamie Vardy led the Cremonese attack while Jeremy Sarmiento was an unused sub.
Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini was sent from the touchline for his protests at a decision but managed to make his substitution, sending Ferguson on, before departing.
Gasperini said: “I'm happy for him because he'd been waiting a long time for it, but I'm especially happy for the win.
Evan Ferguson’s FIRST goal in a Roma shirt! 🐺🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/xKALvewZlf
— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) November 23, 2025
“We were playing well and creating so many chances. That goal showed us we could win."
Roma’s excellent start to the season has been based on a goal record of little more than one per game.
Their quest for an in-form striker has been much-publicised and led to them being linked with forwards including Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United.
But the build-up to the game in Cremona via sports daily Gazzetta Dello Sport saw a change of tone and focused on a fresh start for Ferguson after he recovered from an ankle injury.
He missed recent international wins over Portugal and Hungary in World Cup qualifiers while he recovered with his club.
Albion would be delighted to see the 21-year-old thrive in the high-pressure environment in Rome.
Ferguson has a window of opportunity with fellow No.9 Artem Dovbyk and star attacking player Paolo Dybala out injured.
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Gasperini said: “Today I saw significant improvement. We played well in attack, with great danger going forward
“A few weeks ago that wasn't the case. The credit goes to the lad. Tthey turned things around when they saw these beautiful goals.
“It means you have confidence and that we've taken a step forward.
“The evolution is clear, and we have the characteristics to do even better.”
Roma host Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.
But their big game of the coming week is Sunday’s southern derby and title-race six-pointer against Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico.
