Atalanta go top of Serie A to celebrate birthday in style
The hosts’ impressive start to the season has been built on a solid defence that had conceded just five goals prior to this match, and they didn’t give Sassuolo so much as a sniff of goal for most of the first half. In contrast, despite their domination of possession, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side struggled to regularly trouble Andrea Consigli between the visitors’ sticks. Mario Pašalić was Atalanta’s most threatening player, and it was from his shot that the goalkeeper was first forced into action in the 14th minute. The Croatian should have done better, though, with Consigli ultimately able to make a close-range save.
La Dea were made to pay for their lack of clinical touch shortly before the interval. A devastating Sassuolo counterattack found Giorgos Kyriakopoulos unmarked at the back post, although he still had plenty to do to beat Marco Sportiello. However, even facing a tight angle, the Greece international displayed brilliant technique to crash a volley into the roof of the net to give his side the lead. That was the first time Atalanta had gone behind in Serie A all campaign, which appeared to kick them into gear. In first-half injury time, they were level, as Pašalić slammed home into an empty net from the edge of the six-yard box.
The interval clearly didn’t halt Atalanta’s momentum as, within 40 seconds of the restart, they were in front. Brandon Soppy threaded a clever through ball into Ademola Lookman, who dummied to beat a defender before firing into the top-left corner with aplomb. Sassuolo were not willing to go down without a fight, though, as they threw talisman Domenico Berardi into the fray. This was the Italian’s first appearance since September 4th after suffering with injury, and he showed his crucial quality within minutes of his introduction, hitting the bar with a wonderful curling effort that had Sportiello beaten.
Ultimately, though, Alessio Dionisi's men did not offer enough to depart Bergamo with a point, leaving them in ninth place. Atalanta, meanwhile, can now relax and celebrate their historic day on Monday, although they may no longer be top of the table as Napoli play on Sunday. This result also extends their winning record versus Sassuolo - they have now won their last seven home meetings with the Neroverdi in all competitions.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mario Pašalić (Atalanta B.C)
