A double in the first half from Muriel sees out the home side.
Atalanta have edged out Crotone 2-1 in Serie A, with Luis Muriel scoring both the goals.
Both sides saw their shots hit the woodwork in the opening quarter but it was Atalanta who drew first blood after the strike from Luis Muriel, who benefited from the assist of Ruslan Malinovskiy.
Muriel went on to double the lead in the 38th minute, assisted by Remo Freuler, before Crotone scored a goal moments later.
The second half was also filled with chances for Atalanta but were to a little or no effect in the end.
The game showcased why Muriel is important to the Bergamo outfit while his stats – 5 goals and an assist in 4 appearances in Serie A – make him an underrated striker in the league.
However, the defence looked slightly vulnerable as it was in the previous games after an error from Christian Romero.
Gasperini would have heaved a sigh of relief with the win after suffering back to back defeats in Serie A against Napoli and Sampdoria.
In contrast, Atalanta’s form in the Champions League looks all right following their near-perfect to the season.
However, Gasperini has plenty to mull over ahead of the Liverpool clash as the likes of Hans Hateboer, Christian Romero, Toloi seemed to have dealt with injuries.
The Atalanta boss also offered his thoughts on the win, stating that he was convinced with the way his side had played than the result.
“It’s not just about the result, as we were consistently attacking, didn’t allow much in defence other than the goal incident, which made it seem more in the balance than it really was.”
