Milan came back twice from Ademola Lookman goals with Olivier Giroud and Luka Jovic, but could do nothing against the sublime Luis Muriel back-heel flick winner in stoppages.
Both Lombardy teams were stuttering this season and dealing with numerous injuries. Giroud returned from a two-match ban, but Rafael Leao, Noah Okafor, Simon Kjaer, Malick Thiaw, Pierre Kalulu, Marco Sportiello, Mattia Caldara and Marco Pellegrino were still out of action, so Theo Hernandez was again used as a makeshift central defender. La Dea missed Gianluca Scamacca, El Bilal Toure, Sead Kolasinac, Rafael Toloi and Jose Luis Palomino, with Berat Djimsiti gritting his teeth to start, as Charles De Ketelaere faced his parent club. The hosts had just one point from the last four Serie A games.
Giroud saw an early strike charged down by Djimsiti after good work from Christian Pulisic, but Teun Koopmeiners blocked the Theo Hernandez follow-up with a high boot outside the area.
De Ketelaere should’ve put Atalanta in front against his parent club, but incredibly ballooned over from six yards when Ademola Lookman nodded down a cross.
Fikayo Tomori saw his volley on a corner redirected by Ederson straight into the arms of Juan Musso from point-blank range.
De Ketelaere wasted another chance one-on-one with Mike Maignan, although the referee awarded a free kick for his push on Theo Hernandez.
Lookman broke the deadlock when he controlled a Teun Koopmeiners ball over the top, cut inside between defenders and saw the finish take a huge deflection off Tomori to loop up over a helpless Maignan.
The first touch let Theo Hernandez down on the counter, but Milan equalised deep into first half stoppages. There was controversy as Yunus Musah appeared to barge Lookman over and play continued earning a Rossoneri corner, which Florenzi then deposited on the head of Giroud to steer it under the bar.
After the restart, Giroud turned wide from six yards on a Ruben Loftus-Cheek pull-back, while Mario Pasalic’s angled drive took a slight deflection off Tomori and Maignan fingertipped the Giorgio Scalvini strike over the bar after a strong run from midfield.
Atalanta shook things up and restored their advantage when Lookman sent De Ketelaere down the left, who then rolled across the face of goal for the Nigerian to fire into the roof of the net from six yards with the inside of the right boot.
De Ketelaere almost repeated it moments later, this time flashing the ball inches wide with nobody in the centre.
It really should’ve been 3-1 on 77 minutes when Scalvini managed an extraordinary run with two consecutive sliding tackles won to sting Maignan’s gloves, then the goalkeeper scrambled back across to claw the Lookman follow-up off the line too.
That proved pivotal, because Milan equalised moments later when Pulisic got down the left and rolled across, Giroud’s dummy let it through for substitute Luka Jovic to sweep in from seven yards.
Davide Calabria received a second yellow card in stoppages for his challenge on Aleksei Miranchuk.
Down to 10 men, Milan were made to pay because Miranchuk rolled across from the right for Muriel, who took a touch to draw Maignan out and then surprised him with a stunning back-heel flick at the near post for 3-2.
It still wasn’t over, as Tomori drilled inches wide moments later.
Atalanta 3-2 Milan
Lookman 38, 55 (A), Giroud 45 (M), Jovic 80 (M), Muriel 95 (A)
Sent off: Calabria 93 (M)
Player statistic
| Ademola Lookman (Assist: Teun Koopmeiners) |
 |
38' | ||
| 45+3' | |
Olivier Giroud (Assist: Alessandro Florenzi) |
| Ademola Lookman (Assist: Charles De Ketelaere) |
|
55' | ||
| 71' |  |
Tijjani Reijnders | ||
| Éderson | |
72' | ||
| 80' | |
Luka Jovic (Assist: Christian Pulisic) | ||
| 81' | |
Davide Calabria | ||
| 88' | |
Luka Jovic | ||
| Luis Muriel (Assist: Aleksey Miranchuk) |
|
90+5' | ||
| 90+2' | |
Ismaël Bennacer | ||
| 90+3' |  |
Davide Calabria |
Match statistic
