Dzeko double sends Inter into fourth with win at Atalanta

Inter Milan recovered from a goal down to earn a 3-2 win at Atalanta in Serie A on Sunday, with striker Edin Dzeko netting twice to send the visitors into provisional fourth place.

Inter moved up one spot and onto 30 points, two points ahead of fifth-placed Juventus who host Lazio later on Sunday. Atalanta remain sixth on 27 points.

Goalkeeper Andre Onana saved Inter early on when he kept out a close-range effort from midfielder Teun Koopmeiners in the 15th minute and Jose Luis Palomino's header one minute later.

But Onana was beaten 10 minutes later from the penalty spot when Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman converted to put the hosts ahead after Duvan Zapata had been brought down.

Inter levelled in the 36th through Dzeko after Lautaro Martinez nodded the ball into the six-yard box for the Bosnia striker to finish with a clever backheel.

Simone Inzaghi's visitors took the lead when Dzeko's strike from close range deflected off Atalanta defender Joakim Maehle into the net after 56 minutes.

Inter then went 3-1 up just after the hour when home defender Jose Luis Palomino headed the ball into his own net after Martinez nodded on a corner from Hakan Calhanoglu.

Palomino made amends in the 77th with a diving header from a corner in the 500th Serie A match for Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini and 250th for Inter boss Inzaghi.

DANGEROUS ATALANTA

"We started a bit sluggish but we woke up when conceding, which is what happened last time too," Dzeko told Sky Sport Italia. "When you win in the end, that's fine, when you don't, it's bad.

"Atalanta are always a dangerous team, but we really woke up after that initial goal and it was a good performance from then on."

"Now let's rest and then think about Napoli, which is the first to start from," added Dzeko.

League leaders Napoli visit the San Siro on Jan. 4 after the World Cup break, with their advantage at the top now 11 points over Lazio, AC Milan and Inter.

Atalanta, who started the season with an unbeaten run of 10 league games, have now lost four of their last five matches. They have also suffered three consecutive top-flight home defeats for the first time in 25 years.

"It is clear that not having won games playing well is regrettable, we probably deserved more," Gasperini said.

"We had a very good first half, then we got an unlucky goal with a deflection that cut out Palomino. It was a shame to end the first 45 minutes at 1-1."