Romelu Lukaku arrived in Bergamo on Saturday night with 77 Serie A goals to his name.

By the time he was replaced by Giovanni Simeone with six minutes left, he had added another to his tally and cemented Napoli’s status as the runaway title favourites in Serie A.

This was a classic centre-forward finish, Lukaku rising higher than Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini to meet Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s cross and head the ball past Marco Carnesecchi.

It was also a reminder of why Antonio Conte had so desperately wanted Napoli to spend €30m (£25m) on the Belgian in the summer to replace Victor Osimhen, who was frozen out following a contract dispute and loaned out to Galatasaray.

One of Conte’s most trusted lieutenants, Lukaku’s goal on Saturday night could prove crucial in the pair winning another Scudetto together four years after the Belgian’s 24 Serie A goals steered Inter Milan to a first league title since the Nerazzurri won it all under Jose Mourinho.

“We know what Romelu brings to the table,” Conte said in his press conference.

“He’s a proven winner. Everyone in this team plays a vital role. We may be a small squad, but we’re a hungry one.”

Hunger is a crucial facet of Conte’s philosophy.

After Napoli were thrashed 3-0 in Verona on the opening day of the season, he tore into his players in the dressing room, reminding them that he was still hungry as ever for success, despite having won the Scudetto nine times – five as a player and four as a manager.

His players could either match his intensity or else. Six months later, Napoli are top of the table, six points clear of Inter Milan, who have two games in hand, and seven clear of Atalanta.

If Conte wanted a response from his players, he also challenged Aurelio De Laurentiis to back him in the transfer window, warning a “complete overhaul” was needed after the Azzurri finished 10th last season, 40 points behind Inter.

The Napoli owner can be notoriously parsimonious when it comes to signings, but he met Conte’s demands, with David Neres and Scott McTominay joining Lukaku under Mount Vesuvius.

Signed for €30.5m, the Scot has proved every bit as crucial for Napoli as his former Manchester United teammate Lukaku.

“Scott is a player who has goals in his blood,” Conte said of McTominay in October. “A footballer who has goals in his DNA.”

His finish on Saturday night was testament to Conte’s faith. Neres’ back-heel flick released Anguissa down the left flank, before the Cameroon international squared the ball across the box for McTominay, who smashed it past Carnesecchi without hesitation.

The Scotland international has scored five goals in 18 league matches this season and has brought a new energy to Napoli’s midfield, slotting in seamlessly alongside Stanislav Lobotka and Anguissa and being given the licence to attack.

Conte said last month Napoli “got it right by choosing McTominay” and he even abandoned his preferred 3-5-2 to accommodate the Scot in the team, swapping to a four-man defence for the 0-0 draw against Juventus in October and never looking back.

“There have certainly been changes since the beginning of the summer, especially as I am still trying to find the right tactics for this team,” Conte told DAZN on Monday.

“The arrival of Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku, in particular, made a big difference to the switch to 4-3-3. We tried a couple of different formations before we settled on this one.”

Conte challenged his players after the opening day defeat in Verona and, by all metrics, his demands have been answered.

Napoli’s tally of 50 points in 21 matches is their third-best in history at this stage of the season in the three points for a win era. The Partenopei had 54 points in 2017-18, when they finished third, and 56 when they won the Scudetto two seasons ago.

Back then, Napoli won nine of their first 11 away games in Serie A, while Saturday’s win in Bergamo was their eighth of the campaign.

Lukaku’s winner was the ninth time this season they have scored in the final 15 minutes, a figure bettered only by Lazio and Atalanta with 13 and 10 goals respectively.

This is arguably the most accurate snapshot of Conte’s team this season and, you suspect, the one that will please him the most.

The relentless nature of Napoli under Conte is all the more remarkable when considering some of the pillars of the Scudetto-winning side from two years have long gone, something the former Italy manager was at pains to point out on Saturday night.

“If you compare us to the Scudetto-winning squad, we’re missing key players like [Victor] Osimhen, Kim [Min-Jae] and [Piotr] Zielinski. But that’s no excuse. We’re not going to make excuses. We’re here to work hard.”

Kvicha Kvaratskhelia joined the list of exits this week when he signed for Paris Saint-Germain in a €70m deal, but Conte will not allow Napoli’s season to be defined by departures.

If Lukaku and McTominay have their say, it may well be defined by their arrivals.