MILAN - Roberto Mancini analysed the Nerazzurri's performance in their 1-1 draw with Roma.

He said: "When you look at how the match was going, it was an important goal, because when we risked letting in a couple when we were with ten men against eleven.

"We had prepared to create difficulties for Roma and not give them the spaces they like but we didn't manage to give depth and velocity to our moves, and we had a few problems in attack despite having four or five shots on goal in the first half against Roma's one chance.

"It would have been a different game if Crespo's post had gone in, but Zanetti's goal was nice and important."

Mancini commented on his decision to substitute Cambiasso, and on the fitness of Ibrahimovic. "I brought off Cambiasso because he felt a muscle harden in his leg and we couldn't take any risks because he wasn't managing to run well," the Inter coach said.

"I have known about Ibrahimovic's knee problem for two months. He can't train well or give one hundred percent in matches. He's an important player for us and we miss him a lot in these matches, but the boys did well and they gave their all.

"Our problem this evening was that we had to play several players who were back from injury, and who didn't have minutes in their legs. Vieira played well, and perhaps did even better when we were down to ten men. The team didn't want to lose, it would have been unfair. The lads deserve great credit for not giving up in a match that could have finished three- or four-nil to Roma.  And Julio Cesar did brilliantly from Aquilani's close-range shot.

"It's excellent to be nine points in front after the table-topping clash.

Replying to Spalletti's remarks about Crespo deceiving the referee for Mexes' second yellow, Mancini said: "He shouldn't say this. It's not fair. My players have suffered the same kind of booking, like Materazzi in Liverpool and Vieira in Genoa, and we have never said things like this."