Napoli climbed to the top of Serie A with a convincing 3-1 victory over Atalanta on Saturday. The Partenopei displayed a dominant performance, particularly in the first half, securing the win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Napoli entered the match after an unsettling period that saw them draw two of their last three matches across all competitions. Injuries to key players such as Billy Gilmour, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret, and Romelu Lukaku further complicated matters for the home side. In light of these absences, Noa Lang was given his second start of the season.

Atalanta, on the other hand, was hoping for a fresh start under Raffaele Palladino, who was making his debut as head coach after Ivan Juric's dismissal due to back-to-back Serie A defeats and a seven-game winless run.

Napoli's David Neres broke an 11-month Serie A goal drought by opening the scoring. Neres latched onto a clever flick from Rasmus Hojlund, evaded Honest Ahanor, and curled a precise shot into the far bottom corner.

Napoli doubled their lead when a poor clearance from Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi was intercepted by Scott McTominay, who passed to Neres to drive a left-footed shot into the opposite corner. Noa Lang then scored his first goal for the club, heading in a Giovanni Di Lorenzo cross at the far post, giving Napoli a 3-0 lead before halftime.

Despite Atalanta's Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi scoring in the second half, Napoli's strong first-half performance ensured the victory. Napoli's victory pushed them to the top of the Serie A table, at least temporarily. Atalanta, meanwhile, continues to struggle, failing to win at least two of their first six Serie A away games for the first time since the 2017/18 campaign.