Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli put the hosts ahead after M’Bala Nzola’s early penalty, before Rodrigo Mora and Donyell Malen secured the points.
Gian Piero Gasperini praised Roma’s depth, while Maldini felt Cagliari deserved more.
“We have the good fortune of seeing Mora in training,” Gasperini said. “The fact he has not played some matches, or has played very little, has allowed him to perform at his best.
"He is very young and has to develop physically to last 90 minutes. At the moment, used like this, he is a wild card. He was that today, as he was against Napoli. He is certainly developing, and the header showed that despite his height.”
Nzola put Cagliari ahead from the penalty spot in the 10th minute, but Lulli headed in Nahuel Molina’s cross five minutes later. Lulli then turned provider, setting up Pisilli to give Roma the lead in the 21st minute.
Maldini came off the bench and equalised in the 81st minute, finishing after Adam Obert’s pass. Roma responded immediately: Mora headed home Daniele Ghilardi’s cross in the 85th minute, and Malen added the fourth two minutes later.
Maldini said Cagliari had played well overall.
“We played a great match; we were missing that final step to take the points home,” he said. Asked about starting on the bench, he replied: “It was the coach’s decision, and I made myself fully available.”
“I feel trust from everyone here. I can make mistakes, but that trust remains, and that is important,” Maldini added. “Today, though, we played a great game. We needed very little to get points.”
Gasperini acknowledged defensive lapses but credited his squad’s resilience amid a congested schedule.
“Sometimes, when you play so many matches in a row, you have players who are a little tired, while the opponent is fresh,” he said. “We have many resources, which is why we rotate. It is a merit to have won this match.”
Maldini said the tactical instructions helped players express themselves.
“The coach gives us tasks without the ball, then lets us move around in possession. That allows us to be ourselves,” he said.