It was one of the great European performances, with Ademola Lookman at the heart of it.
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side were hopeful of ending the season unbeaten, but Lookman’s two first-half goals appear to have put paid to that.
His hat-trick goal was sensational and put the gloss on an incredible team performance from the Serie A side.
Bayer Leverkusen player ratings
Kovar (6) – Could do nothing about the goals but was solid otherwise.
Stanisic (4) – Never really got into the game and was subbed off.
Hincapie (4) – Too easily beaten down Leverkusen’s left side. Huffed and puffed to no great avail.
Tah (5) – Marshalled his back four gamely, but let down by his defensive colleagues.
Wirtz (4) – Strangely off the pace in the biggest game of his career. Unsurprisingly taken off with 10 minutes to go.
Tapsoba (4) – Often found wanting in the first 45 in particular. Didn’t improve after half-time.
Grimaldo (4) – Very quiet all night and missed an easy chance to lob Musso just after the half hour. Taken off on 68 minutes.
Adli (3) – Moribund as an attacking force and offered nothing throughout.
Palacios (4) – Completely at fault for the opening goal and that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Frimpong (6) – A busy but ineffective performance for the most part. Volleyed over when well placed and could never really get going. Subbed off with 10 minutes left.
Xhaka (6) – Used all of his top-level experience but a lack of movement ahead of him meant his forward passes often went awry.
Subs:
Boniface (6) – At the coal face in the second half but had no support up top.
Andrich (4) – Missed the ball completely as soon as he came on. Summed up his contribution.
Hlozek (4) – Ran around a lot but didn’t do much.
Schick (4) – Tried a couple of flicks and shots but nothing came off.
Tella (3) – Not on the pitch long enough to affect things.
Atalanta player ratings
Musso (6) – Had virtually nothing to do all game and was a safe pair of hands when called upon.
Djimisti (6) – Needed to display some more variety to his game, but rarely caught out.
Hien (6) – Wouldn’t let anyone pass and another player whose solidity helped frustrate the opponents
Kolasinac (8) – He would’ve known that much of the defensive work was going to fall on his shoulders and he didn’t disappoint. Had to go off at half-time.
Zappacosta (8) – Brilliant pass for the opener and didn’t stop running all night. Subbed off on 83.
Koopmeiners (8) – Inventive and creative in midfield and a constant thorn for his opponents. Full of energy and Leverkusen couldn’t cope with it.
Dos Santos (9) – Was the lynchpin upon which Atalanta built many of their attacks.
Ruggeri (8) – Solid as a rock for the Serie A outfit. Really put in a shift and was an example to his team-mates
De Ketelaere (8) – Didn’t stop harrying, causing Leverkusen to uncharacteristically lose possession on more than one occasion. Almost scored a third before half-time. Subbed off on 56.
Lookman (10) – Took his three goals spectacularly well and kept Leverkusen’s back line on their toes all night in a man of the match performance.
Scamacca (9) – The West Ham flop was an ideal foil for Lookman, and did his centre-forward’s job as well as could be expected before being subbed off late on.
Subs:
Scalvini (8) – A brilliant substitutes performance to help keep Leverkusen at bay.
Pasalic 5) – Did what he had to do in Gasperini’s tactical masterclass.
Toure (5) – Hardly touched the ball but ensured his presence was felt in the short amount of time he had on the pitch.
Hateboer (5) – Kept things simple in the latter stages.
Toloi (4) – A 90th minute substitute that didn’t have enough time to impose himself.