For a moment, the look on Ademola Lookman’s face said it all. The Atalanta winger could barely contain his surprise after watching Davide Zappacosta score his side’s third goal in their 4-0 demolition of Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday night.

And, frankly, who could blame him? Football has long lost its taste for such finishes, creativity sacrificed on the altar of structure and patterns of play.

But Gian Piero Gasperini is one of a dwindling breed of great romantics and here was a goal that encapsulated his football’s philosophy.

Zappacosta and Lookman exchanged passes on the left wing, before the former Chelsea full-back played the ball square towards Sead Kolasinac, the centre-back rampaging forward before flicking the ball back to his teammate and continuing his run into the box to meet Zappacosta’s return pass.

The Bosnian had just enough space to play delicate back-heel back into Zappacosta’s path, who finished with aplomb from a tight angle.

If one were to script the perfect Gasperini goal, it would probably include a left-back and centre-back exchanging passes in a sweeping move before firing home. This was Atalanta at their marauding best and Sunday night was Atalanta at their marauding best, a timely reminder that on their day La Dea‘s brand of attacking football has few equals in Europe.

It certainly proved too much to handle for Juventus, whose five-game winning run ended in a cacophony of boos after their biggest home defeat at home in the league since they lost by the same scoreline to Torino back in 1967.

“This was a footballing lesson,” was Arrigo Sacchi’s verdict on La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Gasperini’s team delivered an absolutely dominant performance. He has inspired many to try and replicate his style, which is a huge compliment for any coach.”

It speaks volumes for Atalanta’s superiority that the result flattered Juventus, who found themselves trailing after 29 minutes to Mateo Retegui’s penalty, the Italy international’s 22nd goal of his debut campaign in Bergamo.

Atalanta should have had a second before half-time, but Lookman’s right-footed effort found the post, before Michele Di Gregorio denied the Nigerian on the follow up. From the resulting corner, Marten De Roon drew a smart stop from Di Gregorio, before Ederson’s shot fizzled just wide of the post.

Atalanta wouldn’t live to regret their missed chances as De Roon converted from close range one minute into the second half, before Lookman completed the rout with a brilliant finish 15 minutes from time. By then, the only Juventus fans still in the ground had stayed back purely to hurl abuse at Thiago Motta.

The triumph in Turin kept Atalanta three points behind league leaders Inter Milan, who overturned a two-goal deficit to win against Monza, and two behind second-placed Napoli, who beat Fiorentina 2-1 earlier on Sunday to snap a five-game winless streak.

“Inter and Napoli are incredibly strong, they’re relentless,” Gasperini told DAZN.

“But tonight’s performance could be a turning point, because I don’t believe Atalanta have ever been in contention for the top spot at this stage of the season.”

The Nerazzurri travel to Bergamo on Sunday night and while wisdom suggests the fixture could go a long way towards deciding the destination of the Scudetto, the nature of this Serie A season says otherwise.

After all, Napoli looked to have ended Atalanta’s title dreams in January when Romelu Lukaku’s late winner sealed 3-2 win at the Gewiss Stadium to give them a seven points lead over their rivals.

The defeat to Napoli came after three consecutive draws had checked Atalanta’s momentum their 11-game winning streak and was followed by a rollercoaster run of four wins, four draws and three losses in the next 11 fixtures, which saw them get knocked out of the Coppa Italia and Champions League last month.

But by the time the Partenopei and Inter drew 1-1 at the Maradona two weeks ago, Atalanta were back within three points and could have been closer still had it not been for a stalemate draw against Venezia.

Come Sunday night, they could be top of the table.

“Dreaming is a joy, not an obligation,” Gasperini mused after the final whistle in Turin.

“Never deny people their dreams, sometimes the impossible becomes reality if you believe with all your heart.”

The 67-year-old is a man well-versed in transforming dreams into reality.

In his eight years in Bergamo, he has turned La Dea from a club fretting over its Serie A status to a Champions League regular, with a Europa League crown under their belt.

Now, Gasperini has his sight firmly set on an even bigger prize and if Sunday night is anything to go by his aspirations are firmly grounded in reality.