Goalkeeper Andrea Consigli was the Atalanta hero as he made a string of fine saves to deny Udinese at the Stadio Friuli.

The 25-year-old stopped an Antonio Di Natale thunderbolt with a superb one-handed save and then blocked a Diego Fabbrini low right-footed strike, as Udinese began to hit their stride.

Kwadwo Asamoah was the most dangerous player on the field. The Ghanaian midfielder came closest to breaking the dealock with a series of long-range efforts.

Udinese upped their efforts in the second half but, after Maurizio Domizzi and Michele Pazienza wasted good opportunities by failing to hit the target, Consigli again proved unbeatable.

Di Natale thought that he had won it in stoppage time with a sensational seven-yard volley, but the Atalanta stopper somehow managed to palm it off the line.

Atalanta have now kept four clean sheets in their last five Serie A games.