UPDATE: Inter beat Atalanta to regain four-point lead, Juve lose

(Adds Juventus loss to Palermo)

Inter restored their four-point lead in Serie A after goals from Patrick Vieira and Mario Balotelli secured a 2-0 win at Atalanta on Sunday.

Second-placed AS Roma's 3-2 win over Genoa on Saturday had cut the gap to a point but champions Inter returned to form with a clinical display after three league games without a win. Vieira's 21st-minute header was controversial however, after he climbed all over Atalanta defender Maximilano Pellegrino to convert Balotelli's corner.

Balotelli, 17, scored his first league goal when he rounded the keeper in the second half following a counter-attack. The forward, who has impressed in the Italian Cup this season, was given a surprise start with Zlatan Ibrahimovic out injured.

"It was good match at a difficult venue. Patrick has scored a very important goal. Balotelli is a young lad with great quality," Inter coach Roberto Mancini told Sky telvision. Atalanta, who won 2-1 at AC Milan last weekend, troubled Inter at times but their day was summed up by Cristiano Doni's dismissal late on after two bookings for dissent.

With six games remaining, Inter have 72 points and Roma are on 68.

Juventus, who lost 3-2 to Palermo in Sunday's late game, are 10 points adrift of Roma in third. Mattia Cassani scored from distance late on to snatch a win for Palermo after an end-to-end encounter where third-placed Juve had fought back from 2-0 down.

Fourth-placed Fiorentina are four points clear of AC Milan in the race for the final Champions League spot after strikers Giampaolo Pazzini and Adrian Mutu sealed a 2-0 win over Reggina, who drop to the bottom, two points from safety. Pazzini arched his neck to score with a superb header midway through the first half and although the visitors struck a post, Fiorentina were always in control and Mutu scored their second after a breakaway in injury time.

The Florence club drew 1-1 at home to PSV Eindhoven in a UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg on Thursday but they are now a step closer to reaching the qualifiers for Europe's more prestigious competition.

Milan beat second-bottom Cagliari 3-1 on Saturday but are running out of games to make the Champions League, which they won last season. Udinese slipped to seventh after a 1-1 draw at Siena with Sampdoria moving above them into sixth, level on points with Milan, after Antonio Cassano returned from a five-game ban to inspire the home side to a 2-0 victory over lowly Livorno.

Empoli, who reappointed Luigi Cagni last week, moved off the bottom after a late Ighli Vannucchi goal snatched a 1-0 win at Torino. Catania were also big winners in the relegation fight, beating Napoli 3-0 in Walter Zenga's first game in charge.