Atalanta 1-2 Napoli: What Did We Learn As The Azzurri Lay Down Another Serie A Marker?

In what was a showdown at the top of the Serie A table on Saturday evening, Napoli picked up a stellar 2-1 victory away at Atalanta.

While former Leicester winger Ademola Lookman might have opened the scoring from the penalty spot after just 19 minutes, Luciano Spalletti s men mounted a stunning comeback at the Gewiss Stadium.

With attacking talisman Victor Osimhen and Elif Elmas bagging a quickfire brace before heading into the half-time break, the Azzurri managed to widen their advantage at the top of the Serie A table.

Laying down a real marker in Bergamo and extending their buffer over the chasing pack to a commanding eight-point lead, Napoli will find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high.

In the midst of what has become a remarkable purple patch, what did we learn from Saturday s battle at the Gewiss Stadium?

Napoli are storming their way to the history books

While Napoli might have been disappointed to have suffered a 2-0 loss away at Premier League giants Liverpool earlier in the week, Saturday s guests certainly came roaring back here.

Breezing their way to the knockout stage of this season s Champions League and gaining a string of plaudits from across Europe, Spalletti s side appear to be a standout pick to claim a first domestic crown since 1990.

Putting in another clinical display in Bergamo and now holding an eight-point buffer over the chasing pack, Napoli should be smelling the chance to make real Serie A history this time around.

Already picking up a string of heavyweight scalps since opening the 2022/23 campaign, the former Inter Milan boss has also seen his side gain a fearsome reputation for their free-scoring displays in the final third.

Mustering 32 Serie A strikes in their opening 13 top-flight appearances, the Azzurri couldn t have wished for a better display away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Osimhen is one of Europe s elite

Spearheading Napoli s first-half comeback on Saturday evening and dragging the Azzurri level just four minutes after Lookman s opener, Spalletti will be hugely excited by Osimhen s stellar run of form heading into the festive break.

While the Nigerian international might have endured a couple of injury issues this season, the 23-year-old has come roaring back and finds his stock at an all-time high.

Along with bagging a hat-trick in Napoli s 4-0 romp at home against Sassuolo when closing October, Osimhen has now racked up seven strikes in just his last six appearances across all formats since returning from a month spell on the sidelines.

Now leading the race to claim this year s Golden Boot, the ex-Lille striker is now regarded to be among Europe s most sort after talents.

Heavily linked with a potential move to Manchester United over the summer, it is no secret that a host of European heavyweights are keeping tabs on Osimhen. However, it is believed that Napoli have placed a £90million price tag on their attacking talisman.

Atalanta need to find some stability in Bergamo

Although Atalanta were left frustrated after missing out on a European spot last season, it appears that Gian Piero Gasperini s side have put many of those issues behind them.

However, largely second best after taking their early lead on Saturday evening, La Dea do have the feel of a side seeking some recent stability in Bergamo.

Suffering a deserved 2-0 loss at the hands of Lazio on October 23rd and now getting hit with back-to-back Serie A defeats at the Gewiss Stadium, Atalanta will be desperate to prove that this is nothing more than a minor blip before heading into the festive break.

While Gasperini s men might have now picked up just a pair of domestic victories from their previous five attempts, Saturday s hosts still appear to be sat in pole position to claim a Champions League return this season.

Atalanta will be next seen on November 9th when they make the trip to Leece before closing 2022 with a heavyweight showdown against former champions Inter Milan in Bergamo.

Match Report:

Atalanta: Musso, Toloi, Demiral, Scalvini, Hateboer, Koopmeiners, Ederson, Maehle, Pasalic, Lookman, Hojlund

Subs: Boga, De Roon, Malinovsky, Soppy, Zapata

Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Kim, Juan Jesus, Olivera, Zielinski, Lobotka, Anguissa, Lozanp, Osimhen, Elmas

Subs: Simeone, Zerbin, Politano, Gaetano

Goals: Atalanta: Lookman (pen 19 ) Napoli: Osimhen (23 ), Elmas (35 )

Yellow Cards: Atalanta: Demiral, Hojlund, Maehle, Toloi, Zapata Napoli: Kim

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Maurizio Mariani

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