Roma raced to the second place of Serie A after they beat Cagliari 3-0 at home on Saturday.

Captain Francesco Totti scored on a 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 that lifts Claudio Ranieri's side above Inter Milan, Lazio and Napoli and to within three points of leaders AC Milan.

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

Roma french forward Jedremy Menez celebrate with teammates after scoring against Cagliari during their Serie A football match in Rome's Olympic Stadium on January 22, 2011.

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 Serie A 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.