With the top three in the league seemingly clear of the chasing pack, it is just fourth spot up for grabs, and both sides knew the importance of clinching all three points.
Sixth-place Atalanta almost got off to the perfect start when Matteo Ruggeri’s whipped cross was met by a stinging shot from Charles De Ketelaere, but the Belgian failed to keep his effort down as it flew over the bar.
The home side continued to probe and did eventually find the opening goal just before the half-hour mark.
Davide Zappacosta drifted into the box from the right flank and smashed a shot across the face of goal, which Lukasz Skorupski saved. However, Ademola Lookman was on hand to fire home the rebound on his first start of 2024.
Bologna, meanwhile, did not come close to an equaliser before half time, and Motta no doubt demanded more from his side during the break.
The Rossoblu boss turned to his bench in the interval, bringing on Alexis Saelemaekers and Jhon Lucumi. One of those changes, Saelemaekers, made an almost immediate impact, winning a penalty in the 56th minute when he was brought down in the area by Teun Koppmeiners.
From the subsequent spot-kick, Joshua Zirkzee stepped up and buried his 10th league goal of the season. The away side completed the turnaround minutes later as Lewis Ferguson rifled a volley from outside the box into the bottom corner.
Gian Piero Gasperini then decided to shuffle his own pack after the double blow, making four changes in a five-minute span. The hosts began to increase the pressure in pursuit of an equaliser but a combination of poor finishing and a resolute Bologna defence prevented Atalanta from snatching a share of the spoils.
The all-important triumph sees Bologna increase the gap to their opponents to five points, but the fixtures do not get any easier for both sides - Bologna host league leaders Inter next, while Atalanta head to Turin to face second-place Juventus.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lewis Ferguson (Bologna)
