Roma remain unbeaten in Serie A after holding Como to a goalless draw, despite playing most of the second half with 10 men.
The point was enough to move Como up to sixth, temporarily sending them above Juventus, while Roma were unable to regain top spot in the division.
Roma created the first clear opportunity after six minutes. Gianluca Mancini and Donyell Malen combined in a tidy move to release Paulo Dybala, but his low effort was struck straight at Como goalkeeper Jean Butez.
The visitors went closer five minutes later when Lorenzo Pellegrini met the ball first time from the edge of the penalty area. The Roma captain’s carefully placed effort clipped the post and went wide.
Como gradually grew into the contest, although they struggled to seriously test Pierluigi Gollini. Trevoh Chalobah fired over the crossbar before Maxence Caqueret found space inside the box and dragged his attempt wide.
Malen, who had scored six goals in his first five Serie A appearances, then missed Roma’s final major chance of an entertaining first half. The forward rounded Butez but, from a tight angle, could only find the side netting.
His afternoon ended less than 10 minutes after the restart. Malen lost control of the ball before lunging into a badly timed challenge on Kaiki, and referee Michael Fabbri showed him a straight red card.
Como immediately pressed to exploit their numerical advantage. Nico Paz cut the ball back for Maximo Perrone, whose shot flew over, while Anastasios Douvikas struck the side netting with a powerful effort.
Gollini kept Roma level with 20 minutes remaining, tipping a fierce strike from Paz over the crossbar. The Roma goalkeeper denied the Argentinian playmaker again seven minutes later, reacting quickly to close down the space after Jacobo Ramon sent a lofted ball over the defence.
Cesc Fabregas’s side controlled possession and territory during the closing stages, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma defended resolutely to secure a valuable point away from home.
The result came before Roma’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Real Madrid and former manager Jose Mourinho on Wednesday. Como will also be in action in the same competition that evening, visiting Feyenoord.
Flashscore named Como defender Jacobo Ramon its Man of the Match.