Atalanta strengthen top six aspirations in Serie A with solid win against Lecce

Roma's heavy loss to Inter Milan during the weekend created an opportunity for La Dea to advance their goals for European spots, although they began tentatively in Salento.

Fortune favoured them as Lecce holds the league's poorest offensive output and managed only one initial attempt to score, with Sadik Fofana sending his shot well over the crossbar after receiving a pass from Ylber Ramadani.

As Raffaele Palladino's team found their rhythm, it became evident that Charles De Ketelaere posed the main threat, and the Belgian was thwarted by a fine stop from Lecce skipper Wladimiro Falcone following a combination with Nikola Krstovic.

Atalanta's first goal came shortly before the 30-minute point, with De Ketelaere once more key, this time assisting Giorgio Scalvini, who evaded Oumar Ngom and fired in his third strike of the campaign, two of them versus Lecce.

The away side displayed no intention of easing off and might have felt frustrated not to lead by more at halftime, as Krstovic nearly netted against his old club, heading wide before a firmer effort was blocked by Falcone.

Lecce's lack of any shots on goal in the opening period led coach Eusebio Di Francesco to bring on Omri Gandelman for the second half, yet Atalanta continued to dominate.

An offside decision prevented the home team from going two down when Ederson finished at the far post, while Falcone swiftly intervened to strip the ball from the lively De Ketelaere.

As expected, the Belgian featured prominently in Atalanta's next goal, setting up Krstovic to tap into the bottom corner at his previous stadium, marking the seventh of his recent nine strikes away from home.

La Dea could relax in the final minutes, but they still notched a third via Giacomo Raspadori's forceful shot, arriving soon after Falcone's intervention to stop Ederson. 

Atalanta now enjoy a six-game unbeaten streak in these fixtures and stand as strong candidates for European places, whereas Lecce linger in the drop zone, extending their run without a victory against upper-table teams to 17 matches this term.