Roma’s Serie A title ambitions suffered another blow after a 1-0 defeat to Atalanta in Bergamo, extending their poor away form under Gian Piero Gasperini.

Gian Piero Gasperini endured a disappointing return to Bergamo as his Roma side slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Atalanta, extending their away woes and dealing another blow to their Serie A title hopes.

Despite winning just two of the previous 15 meetings between the sides, Roma were handed a golden opportunity early on when Paulo Dybala capitalised on an underhit backpass from Ederson and set up Evan Ferguson, whose effort was first saved by Marco Carnesecchi before Berat Djimsiti dramatically cleared the rebound off the line.

Atalanta responded swiftly and took the lead five minutes later when Nicola Zalewski’s corner was spilled by Mile Svilar and bundled over the line by Giorgio Scalvini, with the goal standing after a lengthy VAR review.

Roma struggled to regain control despite their strong record when scoring first this season, as Atalanta pressed forward with Gianluca Scamacca curling an effort wide and later seeing a powerful header disallowed following another extended VAR check.

The second half saw Roma push for an equaliser, with Ferguson forcing Carnesecchi into a fine save and Matías Soulé testing the goalkeeper at his near post, but clear chances remained at a premium.

Atalanta threatened to seal the contest late on when Lorenzo Bernasconi fired narrowly wide, while Roma’s best opportunity arrived via a speculative Paulo Dybala bicycle kick that drifted harmlessly off target.

The result marked Roma’s fourth defeat in six league matches — all by a single-goal margin — leaving their title challenge increasingly fragile, while Atalanta secured a fourth win in five games to strengthen their position near the top of the table.