Raffaele Palladino believes his Atalanta team are gaining confidence just at the right time following their 2-1 win over Napoli at New Balance Arena on Sunday.
Atalanta came from behind to beat the Scudetto holders, with Lazar Samardzic's 81st-minute winner extending their unbeaten run in the top-flight to nine matches (W7 D2).
Sam Beukema's header had given Napoli the lead in the 18th minute, only for Mario Pasalic's 50th Serie A strike to haul Atalanta level just after the hour mark.
Samardzic combined with fellow substitute Lorenzo Bernasconi for the winning goal, sealing a first home win over Napoli in the Italian top-flight since February 2021 (4-2).
But, more importantly, it moved Atalanta up to 45 points, one behind fifth-placed Juventus and only five further back of Napoli, who occupy third in the standings.
Palladino was thrilled with his team's display, and he hopes it will be a solid foundation to build on ahead of their Champions League play-off second leg with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, a tie that they trail 2-0.
"I think the team has gained belief in its capabilities, as we faced Napoli three months ago and lost 3-1," Palladino told DAZN Italia.
"But from there, we started this journey together with many positive performances and difficult moments. There is a great deal of self-confidence now.
"We are very happy with this performance. We proved that we are up there, too, for the top four. We want to keep growing and climbing.
"This game can also give us precious energy for the Champions League play-off."
Frozen in time #AtalantaNapoli #GoAtalantaGo pic.twitter.com/2UAr5GYc90
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) February 22, 2026
But the game did come with controversy. Barely a minute after the restart, Miguel Gutierrez finished past Marco Carnesecchi after good work from Rasmus Hojlund on the right.
However, the goal was ruled out following a VAR review after Hojlund was adjudged to have pulled back Isak Hien in the build-up, and it was not the only contentious moment that the pair were involved in during the encounter.
Towards the end of the first half, Hojlund was upended by Hien inside the penalty area, with referee Daniele Chiffi pointing to the spot, only to overturn his decision after being sent to the pitchside monitor.
Napoli and Antonio Conte fumed at the decision, though Palladino was quick to leap to the defence of the officials as well as his defender, Hien.
"As far as I am concerned, my player is one-on-one with Hojlund," Palladino began. "He had the advantage in terms of position.
"He told me that his arm was pulled back, and that sent him to the ground. I think it’s a foul, clear and evident, there is contact.
"I understand Napoli's position, but I don't see anything wrong with that. It seems pretty clear to me that Hien was pulled down.
"Look, it was a good game of football. I don't want to talk about incidents. It was a real battle, and we're very happy."