AC Milan dropped more points in Serie A as Atalanta battled to their fifth consecutive draw, with Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman scoring his first goal since his summer transfer saga to cancel out Samuele Ricci’s opener in a 1-1 stalemate at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo.
Atalanta came into the game as Serie A’s only unbeaten side but had managed just two wins in their previous outings. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini once again trusted Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere, supported by Mario Pasalic, while Giorgio Scalvini and Mitchel Bakker remained sidelined.
Milan, who had slipped from the top of the table after a 2-2 draw against Pisa, were still without Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupiñán, and Ardon Jashari, though Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to the bench.
The visitors started brightly and took the lead early on when a cleared corner fell to Samuele Ricci at the edge of the box. His half-volley took a heavy deflection off Ederson, wrong-footing goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi to make it 1-0.
Atalanta responded well, but their captain Marten de Roon had to be substituted due to a muscle injury, with former Milan midfielder Marco Brescianini taking his place. Ederson tested Mike Maignan from distance, while Honest Ahanor missed a clear chance from close range before Lookman struck the equaliser.
The Super Eagles winger latched onto a well-weighted through ball from Pasalic and smashed a powerful left-foot shot into the roof of the net — his first since the summer transfer saga that almost saw him leave Bergamo.
In the second half, Milan made changes, including the introduction of Christopher Nkunku for Rafael Leão, but they failed to find a breakthrough. Atalanta’s Odilon Kossounou impressed at the back, denying Nkunku a tap-in with a composed defensive header.
Both sides had late chances, with Davide Zappacosta forcing Maignan into a brilliant fingertip save from distance, while Matteo Gabbia made a key block to deny former teammate Yunus Musah.
The result leaves Atalanta unbeaten but frustrated with five straight draws, while Milan continue to lose ground in the Serie A title race.