Atalanta made history with this 8-2 demolition job on Salernitana, including an Ademola Lookman brace, Rasmus Hojlund, Jeremie Boga and Ederson strikes, but lose Teun Koopmeiners against Juventus.
La Dea saw the opportunity to close on the European places, with Luis Muriel the only remaining absentee. Salernitana had Flavius Daniliuc suspended, plus Pasquale Mazzocchi, Luigi Sepe and Giulio Maggiore injured. Coach Davide Nicola was starting to feel the pressure after just two points from five rounds.
It took under five minutes to Jeremie Boga to celebrate his first start of the season, as he cut inside from the left, rode three attempted tackles and unleashed a rocket that took a deflection off Domagoj Bradaric to wrong-foot Guillermo Ochoa. It was the former Sassuolo man’s first Serie A goal for the club.
The Mexico international goalkeeper was ready for the Koopmeiners daisy-cutter on a Davide Zappacosta roll across from the right, using his legs to parry.
It was decisive, as Salernitana equalised when Krzysztof Piatek flicked on a long Ochoa kick, Boulaye Dia let it bounce and prodded past the on-rushing goalkeeper.
The game was end to end, Ochoa flying to palm away the Ademola Lookman curler, then a free kick for Federico Fazio’s foul on Rasmus Hojlund was changed to a penalty when VAR showed contact was inside the box. Lookman’s spot-kick squirmed under Ochoa’s arm and body into the bottom corner.
Moments later it was 3-1, as Giorgio Scalvini met the Koopmeiners corner with a glancing header across Ochoa.
Hojlund twisted and turned between two defenders to see his shot fingertipped away by Ochoa, but there was bad news for Atalanta when Koopmeiners received a yellow card, meaning he’ll be suspended against Juventus.
Boga burst down the left and rolled across the face of goal, Fazio getting a touch to risk an own goal, but also crucially take it away from Hojlund sliding in.
Fazio gave away another penalty for tripping Hojlund, who had squirmed between two defenders, and this time Ochoa made the save on Koopmeiners, but could do nothing on the Dutchman’s rebound.
Hojlund was torturing Fazio in this first half, sprinting away on a through ball from midfield and drilling across Ochoa into the far bottom corner for 5-1.
Only once before in their history had Atalanta scored five goals in the first half of a Serie A match, in November 1941 against Napoli.
Dia flashed a dangerous ball across the face of goal as Piatek came sliding in a second too late for the tap-in.
However, Atalanta got their sixth with Lookman taking a touch before hitting a rocket into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Hans Nicolussi Caviglia got one back with his sweeping shot off the inside of the right boot from the edge of the penalty area, taking a deflection to squeeze into the far bottom corner.
Ederson scored a stunner and refused to celebrate against his former club out of respect, placing an unstoppable right-foot curler into the top corner, giving Ochoa no chance.
Atalanta have scored seven Serie A goals before under Gian Piero Gasperini, beating Udinese 7-1 at home in October 2019, Lecce 7-2 away in March 2020 and Torino 7-0 away in January 2020.
However, they set a new record with an eighth goal and it was another ex-Salernitana player, Nadir Zortea, who smashed in the angled drive on a Duvan Zapata lay-off.
It would’ve been nine had Ochoa not palmed a Koopmeiners strike onto the crossbar from the tightest of angles.
Atalanta 8-2 Salernitana
Boga 5 (A), Dia 10 (S), Lookman pen 20, 53 (A), Scalvini 23 (A), Koopmeiners 38 (A), Hojlund 41 (A), Nicolussi Caviglia 56 (S), Ederson 61 (A), Zortea 85 (A)
Saved penalty: Koopmeiners 38 (A)
Bit like the old Atalanta of recent seasons: goals galore.