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Inter maintain their four-point lead at the top thanks to Patrick Vieira and Mario Balotelli's first Serie A goal.
The Nerazzurri knew they had to win here or their Serie A lead would be whittled down to just one point following Roma's victory on Saturday. They were without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Suazo, Cristian Chivu, Walter Samuel, Ivan Cordoba and Olivier Dacourt, but welcomed back midfield maestro Esteban Cambiasso and started with 17-year-old Mario Balotelli. Inter had just two points from their last four games, but had not lost in Bergamo since 1994 and Atalanta were fresh from defeating Milan at San Siro.
Cristiano Doni nodded a Ferdinando Tissone corner over the bar and Inter adopted a 4-5-1 system with Balotelli and Dejan Stankovic out wide. Goalkeeper Ferdinando Coppola palmed a set-piece out to the edge of the box where Cambiasso was ready to fire over.
Atalanta also threatened with Ferreira Pinto's effort skimming the upright, but Inter took the lead from a set play. Douglas Maicon whipped in a corner kick for Patrick Vieira's header, although the home side complained that he had pushed Maximiliano Pellegrino to get there.
Cristiano Doni's free kick was well wide and Crespo hit the back of the net from a deflected Balotelli effort, but he was in an offside position.
Atalanta wasted a glorious opportunity to draw level, as Manuel Belleri's volley from a promising position was woefully off target.
Antonio Langella drilled wide at the dawn of the second half and Sergio Floccari's turn and strike and later header were too weak to trouble Julio Cesar.
Douglas Maicon threatened a second when he failed to make the most of a Balotelli free kick, then soon after substitute Julio Cruz stumbled on the counter set up by Balotelli under pressure from Pellegrino.
Balotelli decided to go for goal himself and scored his debut Serie A goal. He sprung the offside trap on a flicked Stankovic pass and kept his cool to waltz round the goalkeeper and deposit into an empty net.
There was controversy on 83 minutes when Marco Materazzi almost dragged Simone Inzaghi's shirt off in the area, but the referee awarded a free kick to Inter.
Cristiano Doni saw red in stoppages for dissent, as he was livid with the referee for not awarding Atalanta a free kick when Vieira bundled over Pellegrino.
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