Atalanta thrashed Salernitana 8-2 and Roma overpowered Fiorentina 8-2 on Sunday as the two sides kept the fight for a Champions League spot very intriguing by now having 34 points each along Lazio – just three behind fourth placed Inter.
The result means Atalanta became the first team to score eight times in a Serie A game since Inter in 1996 as Ademola Lookman struck twice with six other players on the scoresheet for Atalanta.
Jeremie Boga put Atalanta into an early lead with his first goal for the club since signing from Sassuolo in the close season.
Boulaye Dia equalised for Salernitana but Lookman converted a penalty to put the hosts back on top. Giorgio Scalvini, Teun Koopmeiners – who tucked away the rebound from his spot-kick – and Rasmus Hojlund added further goals before half-time.
Lookman netted again on 54 minutes with Hans Nicolussi Caviglia then pulling one back for Salernitana. Ederson bagged Atalanta’s seventh and Nadir Zortea completed the rout.
Atalanta will go to Juventus next weekend with a chance to break into the top four. “It will be a difficult match but one which can give us an indication about our growth,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Salernitana coach Davide Nicola’s job reportedly could be in jeopardy. “After such a loss there’s really no analysis to be done, it just means you didn’t have enough determination,” he said after watching his team’s winless run increase to six games.
Dybala score twice
Paulo Dybala grabbed both goals for Roma in their 2-0 home win over Fiorentina, who played over an hour with 10 men after Brazilian defender Dodo was sent off.
World Cup winner Dybala volleyed Roma ahead from the edge of the area. His second came late on after Tammy Abraham burst free down the right and squared for the Argentine to tap home.
Lazio defeat Sassuolo
Meanwhile, Lazio recovered from the early exit of their captain Ciro Immobile to injury to earn a 2-0 win at Sassuolo.
Mattia Zaccagni opened the scoring before the break by converting a penalty awarded after Sassuolo defender Jeremy Toljan handled the ball at a corner.
Felipe Anderson added a second deep into injury time with Lazio, in fifth, staying in touch of third-placed Juventus and Inter Milan, and four points adrift of champions AC Milan.
Lazio host Milan next weekend, with Immobile now in doubt after being substituted early on due to discomfort in his right thigh.
It is a fresh blow for the 32-year-old striker, who has already missed several games this season with a left thigh problem.
Sassuolo remain mired in the depths, dropping to 17th after a sixth defeat in seven matches.
Other matches
Meanwhile, Angolan forward M’Bala Nzola’s penalty — his ninth goal of the season — gave Spezia a 1-0 win at Torino, extending their unbeaten run to five games and pushing them away from the drop zone.
On the other hand, Udinese, who started the season on a positive note while remaining in top four during the initial stage, are now winless in 10 matches following a 2-1 home defeat by Bologna.
Earlier on Saturday, second-placed Milan had salvaged a heartbreaking 2-2 draw at Lecce after giving their rivals two goal lead. It was their second consecutive draw after a similar 2-2 score line against Roma last week. On Friday, Juventus was crushed 5-1 by Napoli, who are top of the standings with a healthy nine-point advantage.
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