Gian Piero Gasperini warned Atalanta cannot afford any mistakes as they look to catch Inter and Napoli in the Serie A title race.

Atalanta coasted to a 5-0 away win over relegation-threatened Empoli on Sunday, moving three points behind Simone Inzaghi's leaders and two adrift of Napoli.

Ademola Lookman scored twice in a convincing triumph, marking the perfect response to being labelled by Gasperini as "one of the worst penalty-takers" after missing a spot-kick in Atalanta's Champions League exit to Club Brugge in midweek.

Lookman refused to comment when probed on whether the Gasperini feud had been settled, though the veteran Atalanta boss remains focused on a potential title charge.

"First, it's about seeing how things unfold week by week. At this point in the season, we can’t make any mistakes, especially since we are just a little behind," he told reporters.

"We are proud of our position and the journey we’ve made so far. It can be interpreted in many ways, but personally, I am satisfied."

A five-star win for Atalanta! #EmpoliAtalanta pic.twitter.com/Bv15xk1m16

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) February 23, 2025

Club Brugge dumped Atalanta out of Europe with a 5-2 aggregate win, though Gasperini believes that could be a blessing in disguise and help their chances of winning the league title.

"We hope so, although we are sorry not to be in the Champions League a few weeks off are useful, and some players need to recover their energy, hoping for a strong finish," he added.

Gasperini suggested on Saturday he may consider extending his contract until 2026 but declined to comment further on the decision.

"I don’t go into this subject anymore; I’ve already been quite clear," he added.

"We have 12 matches to play, and we need to focus on those. Everything else, whether it was before or after, doesn’t change anything."

Atalanta host Venezia in their next Serie A outing on Saturday.