Mohamed Salah hit the post three times before securing a point for Roma in their 1-1 draw with Bologna on Monday.
Luciano Spalletti's side were looking to restore an eight-point cushion to fourth-placed Inter in the race for the Champions League places, but were frustrated by a dogged display from Roberto Donadoni's side.
Salah struck the woodwork with a header early on and Stephan El Shaarawy was ruled offside as he turned in the rebound as Roma looked to seize the initiative at the Stadio Olimpico.
A well-timed run from Salah saw him race clear only to rattle the base of the far post, before Miralem Pjanic slipped when looking for the rebound and goalkeeper Antonio Mirante eventually blocked the danger.
Luca Rossettini snatched the lead against the run of play as he powered a header through the grasp of Wojciech Szczesny, and luck seemed to be firmly on Bologna's side when Salah again struck the woodwork just after the break with firm strike from distance.
But the Egypt international finally made the breakthrough on 50 minutes, springing the offside trap to latch onto Francesco Totti's pass before slotting home.
Totti was himself denied by Mirante and both Salah and Diego Perrotti missed the target as Roma piled on the pressure, but Bologna held out for a share of the spoils to take another step towards Serie A safety.
Roma remain on course to finish third - they now have a six-point gap to both Inter behind them and to second-placed Napoli in front.
