After a cagey start to the match, it was the visitors who struck the first blow in the 18th minute after capitalising on some poor marking from the Atalanta defence.
A perfectly weighted free-kick from Miguel Gutierrez found a completely unmarked Sam Beukema inside the box, and he had no trouble in finding the back of the net from just over six yards out to secure his second Serie A goal of the season.
The hosts worked hard to try and get back into contention, and their first notable opportunity arrived after 35 minutes when Vanja Milinkovic-Savic produced an impressive save at his near post to deny Kamaldeen Sulemana from levelling the game.
With the interval on the horizon, there was still time for some drama as Antonio Conte’s side were initially awarded a penalty after the referee adjudged Isak Hien to have brought down Rasmus Hojlund.
However, the volume inside the New Balance Arena increased rapidly when Daniele Chiffi reversed his decision after being instructed to review the incident by the VAR officials.
It was a dramatic start to the second half, to say the least, when Gutierrez seemingly doubled the visitors’ advantage just 23 seconds after the restart. The joy soon turned to dismay, though, as the goal was ruled out by the referee due to a foul committed by Hojlund in the build-up.
This incident would go on to haunt the Azzurri, as the hosts grabbed an equaliser just after the hour mark from a set-piece of their own. An excellent corner from Nicola Zalewski was met by a glancing header from Croatia international Mario Pasalic, and his effort had just enough power to beat Milinkovic-Savic.
The leveller injected huge amounts of confidence into Raffaele Palladino’s side as they embarked on an instant search for a winner. The Nerazzurri almost managed that just after the midway point of the second half, as Milinkovic-Savic pulled off a vital save to prevent Gianluca Scamacca from edging the hosts in front for the first time.
La Dea continued to apply pressure on Napoli’s defence, and they were duly rewarded with less than 10 minutes remaining, as a superb header from Lazar Samardzic found the bottom corner following an inviting cross by Lorenzo Bernasconi to the sheer delight of the Atalanta faithful inside the stadium.
After collecting three points at home, Atalanta stay in seventh position in SA as they must now switch their attention to the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday when they host Borussia Dortmund with a place in the Round of 16 at stake.
Meanwhile, third-placed Napoli will look to return to winning ways and revive their diminishing title hopes when they travel to relegation-threatened Hellas Verona away from home next weekend in the league.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mario Pasalic (Atalanta)