Despite playing more than 75 minutes with 10 men, US Sassuolo produced a spirited display to defeat fellow European hopefuls Atalanta BC 2-1 at the Mapei Stadium, claiming their fifth win in six Serie A matches.

An entertaining opening saw Sassuolo threaten first, with Andrea Pinamonti heading straight at Marco Carnesecchi inside 10 minutes. Atalanta responded immediately on the counter, but Nicola Zalewski squandered a golden one-on-one opportunity, lifting his effort wide of the far post. Moments later, Carnesecchi was called into action again, denying Kristian Thorstvedt with a sharp save low to his right.

The game appeared to swing dramatically in the 19th minute when referee Matteo Marchetti showed Pinamonti a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Berat Djimsiti, leaving Sassuolo a man down for the remainder of the contest.

However, the dismissal did little to halt the hosts’ momentum. Just four minutes later, Sassuolo took the lead when Kone reacted quickest to Armand Lauriente’s inswinging corner, guiding the ball home from close range.

Despite their numerical advantage, Atalanta struggled to break through before halftime. Arijanet Muric stood firm in the Sassuolo goal, parrying Lazar Samardzic’s first-time strike before producing an acrobatic save to keep out Raoul Bellanova’s header.

Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino responded with a triple substitution at the break, introducing top scorer Nikola Krstovic. The forward quickly made his presence felt, though his early effort sailed over the bar.

Sassuolo remained dangerous on the counter, and Thorstvedt continued his duel with Carnesecchi before finally getting the better of him in the 69th minute, unleashing a stunning strike into the top corner to double the hosts’ advantage.

Substitute Yunus Musah gave Atalanta hope with a sublime finish in the 88th minute, and the visitors nearly snatched a late equaliser when Giorgio Scalvini’s header was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Muric.

The victory marks Sassuolo’s first run of three consecutive league wins since March 2023 and moves them within seven points of Atalanta.

For Atalanta, the high of their recent UEFA Champions League progression over Borussia Dortmund quickly faded. The defeat leaves Palladino’s side outside the top six, albeit just one point behind sixth-placed Juventus in an increasingly tight race for European qualification.