Facing the Grigiorossi for the first time since March 1996, it took some time for La Dea to become reacquainted with their opponents during a tepid first half short on quality.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium for the home side with Teun Koopmeiners perhaps coming closest with his low driven effort stinging the palms of Ionut Radu.
Surprisingly, it was winless Cremonese who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Cyriel Dessers won the ball high up the pitch, weaved into the area, and saw his shot blocked by Rafael Toloi.
Soualiho Meite followed up with a rasping shot, but Juan Musso tipped over to keep the scores level.
The standard of football on display showed no signs of improving in the second period, as both sides continued to turn over possession easily.
Atalanta stepped up their search for a potentially-decisive goal, and thought he’d supplied it via a whipped free-kick, but VAR intervened to correctly rule it out for an unnecessary handball from Caleb Okoli.
A set-piece was beginning to look like the most likely route to a winner, and with time ticking away, Merih Demiral nodded a Koopmeiners set-piece delivery beyond Radu from close range.
However, Cremonese responded swiftly when Santiago Ascacibar’s speculative effort was clumsily spilled by Muso, allowing Valeri to follow in for a precious equaliser.
Okoli had a chance to atone for his handball late on, but Radu was alive to the situation to earn his side a useful away point. Despite an ultimately disappointing result, La Dea remain the only side in Italy’s top flight to have scored first in every league game this campaign.
Meanwhile, Cremonese can take confidence from their stubborn performance, although a long relegation battle for the newly-promoted side looks inevitable, even at this early stage.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta)
