Both sets of supporters were served up an entertaining opening quarter-hour, and Sassuolo were first to threaten, with Andrea Pinamonti planting a header straight into Marco Carnesecchi’s arms in the 10th minute.
That sparked a quickfire counter from the visitors, at the end of which midfielder Nicola Zalewski inexplicably lofted his one-on-one effort wide of the far post less than sixty seconds later. The action wasn’t finished there either as Carnesecchi then expertly prevented Kristian Thorstedt's effort from sneaking into the bottom corner.
However, the hosts’ encouraging start appeared to have been undone four minutes later, as referee Matteo Marchetti was left with no choice but to show Pinamonti a straight red card for a nasty challenge on Berat Djimsiti.
Nevertheless, Sassuolo’s numerical disadvantage didn’t seem to make a difference. In the right place at the right time, Kone couldn’t miss, as he directed Armand Lauriente’s inswinging corner past Carnesecchi in the 23rd minute from practically underneath the crossbar.
Despite being up against 10 men, Atalanta remained frustrated up until half-time, with Arijanet Muric smartly redirecting Lazar Samardzic’s first-time strike away from danger before acrobatically making his way through the air to keep out Raoul Bellanova’s header.
In response, Atalanta manager Raffaele Palladino made a triple change during the break, which included the introduction of top scorer Nikola Krstovic. And it only took Krstovic seven minutes to take aim at goal, as he fired an ambitious effort over the bar.
Thorstvedt re-engaged in battle with Carnesecchi not long after with a rebounded strike that resulted in a smart save. However, the Norwegian had the last laugh after 69 minutes as he beat Carnesecchi with a screamer that flew into the top corner.
Substitute Yunus Musah pulled back a late 88th-minute consolation for Atalanta with a sublime strike, who were then denied a late point, as Muric somehow tipped Giorgio Scalvini’s header onto the bar.
Another three points mark the first time Sassuolo have registered a hat-trick of league wins since March 2023 and, in turn, take the Nerazzurri within seven points of Atalanta.
Meanwhile, the visitors’ celebrations of beating Borussia Dortmund to qualify for the Round of 16 in this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign are well and truly over. The defeat now leaves Palladino's side outside of the top six; however, the gap to sixth-placed Juventus is only a point.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kristian Thorstedt (Sassuolo)
