After Marten de Roon’s risky pass across the face of his own goal inside 30 seconds, La Dea settled into their rhythm, with Ademola Lookman’s cross causing chaos in the visiting box, shortly before the attacker found Charles De Ketelaere, who drew the first save of the game from former Atalanta goalkeeper Boris Radunovic.
However, newly promoted Cagliari - 19th coming into the match - were getting some chances, the best of which in the first half saw Zito Luvumbo’s inviting cross headed wide by Eldor Shomurodov when the Roma loanee should perhaps have guided his effort on target.
At the other end, Lookman was a constant menace, rattling the crossbar after a couple of lovely feints following a wonderful ball to him by Teun Koopmeiners. In the same move, Davide Zappacosta also hit the outside of the left-hand post, and it seemed inevitable that Gian Piero Gasperini’s men would eventually break the deadlock as Lookman forced a stop from Radunovic - and so it proved on 33 minutes.
Koopmeiners played a perfect pass over the top to release De Ketelaere and the Belgium international kept his composure to square for Lookman, who prodded home from inside the six-yard box for his second strike in as many games.
Claudio Ranieri had some work to do if he was to mastermind the Sardinians’ fifth win in six head to heads at Gewiss Stadium, but Atalanta were looking rampant as Radunovic did superbly to palm away Matteo Ruggeri’s thunderbolt. Cagliari made a positive start to the second half, but clear-cut opportunities for both teams were at a premium as Gasperini brought on Emil Holm and Mario Pasalic for De Ketelaere and Lookman.
And it was Pasalic who ultimately wrapped up the three points, steering in off the post from fellow substitute Luis Muriel’s measured through-ball, although Gaetano Oristanio was inches away from halving the deficit when he thundered a close-range shot against the bar late on.
Atalanta aim to record successive SA victories for the first time this campaign when they travel to Hellas Verona on Wednesday evening, while the Islanders host second-placed AC Milan on the same day as they continue to search for a maiden victory since returning to Italy’s top flight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
