How it happened
Nikola Krstović scored twice in the first half as Atalanta beat Venezia 3-1, and his match rating of 9.3 was the highest on the pitch. He also added one assist and one key pass.
Kessié opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Krstović made it 2-0 in the sixth and scored again in the 30th, which left Venezia three goals down before the half-hour had passed.
Antoine Hainaut pulled one back in the 37th minute, and the score stood at 3-1 at half-time. Neither side scored after the break. Atalanta finished with ten men when Elmas was sent off in the 89th minute.
The numbers
Atalanta won with far less of the ball. Venezia held 64% of possession and had the higher expected-goals total, 2.63 to 2.12, but Atalanta put 11 of their 22 shots on target against four of Venezia's 19. Corners were close, with eight for Atalanta and seven for Venezia.
Krstović's expected goals came to 1.00 from his chances, so two goals was a return above that figure. Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stanković made seven saves and earned a match rating of 7.4.
Hainaut was Venezia's best performer with a match rating of 8.8, 84 touches, two key passes and 0.44 expected goals. Toma Bašić added three key passes and a rating of 7.9 before leaving the field after 83 minutes.
What it means
Atalanta sit 10th with nine points from six matches, three wins and three defeats, and a goal difference of zero. Venezia are 20th with no points, 16 goals conceded and a goal difference of -11.
The result extends a one-sided series. Atalanta have won seven of the nine meetings between the clubs, with two draws and no Venezia victory. Venezia have taken two wins from their last 10 matches, and the expected-goals figures show they created enough here to score more than once.