Following a disappointing defeat to Ajax in Amsterdam in midweek, Atalanta would’ve wanted to get off to a positive start here, but high-flying Frosinone had other things on their mind as they took the lead after just 25 seconds.
The visitors capitalised on a poor pass out from Ederson, which allowed Romano Schmid to slot past Marco Carnesecchi.
It was an end-to-end affair as Atalanta levelled the scoreline just before the quarter-hour mark when Charles De Ketelaere played an exquisite defence-splitting pass to pick out Nikola Krstovic in the box, and the Montenegrin slid his finish into the bottom-right corner.
Parity lasted a little over three minutes, however, with Frosinone easing their way back into the lead when Fares Ghedjemis sliced through the hosts’ defence before his cutback was fired in by Schmid for his second of the afternoon.
La Dea continued to probe as the first half progressed and levelled things up once more just after the half-hour mark.
Following a lengthy VAR check, Giorgio Cittadini was penalised for handling in the box, and Ederson made up for his earlier mistake by comfortably dispatching the spot-kick.
Then, Maurizio Sarri’s men completed the comeback and went ahead on the brink of half-time after Davide Zappacosta’s drilled ball into the box was turned home by Krstovic.
Undeterred after letting their lead slip twice in the first half, Frosinone were quick out of the blocks after the restart and made it 3-3 within minutes, when a neat spell of possession culminated with Giacomo Calo curling in from the edge of the box.
The back-and-forth pace of the game remained the same, though, and just two minutes later Atalanta took control once more. This time, Eljif Elmas was the goalscorer, powering home after being picked out by Krstovic at the back post.
Once back in front, Sarri’s side finally asserted their authority and kept the visitors at bay, therefore significantly reducing the pace of the encounter.
As the away side pushed forward to level once more, gaps began to appear at the back, and Atalanta looked to take advantage on the counter. Krstovic should’ve netted his hat-trick when picked out in the box, but Gabriele Calvani denied him with a superb goal-saving block.
Atalanta began to defend impressively as they sought to see out the victory, yet Frosinone continued to knock on the door, and their persistence paid dividends 10 minutes from full-time.
A tidy spell of possession with over a dozen passes helped unlock the hosts’ defence, and Aleksa Terzic finished off the move with a superb finish, firing into the far corner from just inside the box.
In the end, the points were shared, and perhaps deservedly so in a thrilling encounter. Sarri will begin to be concerned with his side’s form given they are now three games without a win, while Frosinone’s surprise bid for European football continues as they stay in sixth place.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nikola Krstovic (Atalanta)