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Match Summary

• The Chelsea forward hands Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and draw level through the striker.
• Charles de Ketelaere nets a last-gasp decisive goal for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea slide to 11th in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of securing a place automatically for the European Cup knockouts were suffered a setback as Atalanta fought back to triumph in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this game with identical records in the league phase of this year's tournament, having secured three victories, drawn, and lost to have accrued 10 points.

For extended periods there was very little to separate them in this encounter too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro finished the captain's cross.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a threat going forwards, with ex- Premier League attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the backline.

James shot wide in the second half but the home team upped the intensity and deservedly levelled when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they got the decisive strike late on when the Chelsea defenders retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a driven shot.

The visitors tried to rescue a point in stoppage time but a superb save by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Pedro.

The result means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage fixtures left to play.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, climb up to third, three points clear of the Londoners.

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Form Continues

This was a deeply frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to achieve the top eight finish they need to avoid the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta seized the moment.

The Italian side are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging test for the Blues, but they will be frustrated to be departing with nothing after taking the early advantage.

But the broader context is that this extends Chelsea's troubling sequence of results in all competitions.

Since beating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the close of November they are now winless in their last four matches.

Excessive Changes Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this match as he persisted with his policy of moving players in and out of the starting lineup.

The rotations here followed after he implemented the same number for the loss to Leeds United and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Bergamo.

The coach will view rotation as essential as he tries to handle players' fitness and compete both at home and in Europe, but he stated the key nucleus of players remains the unchanged for key fixtures.

"I think tonight [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham, FC Barcelona, and the Gunners," he commented.

"If you see the five changes that we made relative to Bournemouth it is different but it involves the eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

"The ones who took to the field this evening are the ones who feature in almost all the matches."

Up Next for These Clubs?

The Blues' next European fixture sees them welcome Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).

The Italian team, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Club at the identical kick-off time.