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Match Summary

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and equalise through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker grabs a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the league phase of the Champions League.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were dealt a blow as their Italian opponents fought back to claim victory in Bergamo.

Both sides entered this game with matching records in the league phase of this year's competition, having secured three victories, tied one, and suffered one defeat to be on ten points.

For large parts there was little to separate them in this contest too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when the Brazilian converted the captain's cross.

But The Serie A side remained a danger going forwards, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker creating issues for the defence.

James fired wide in the second half but the home team upped the intensity and rightfully drew level when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a strong effort straight at the keeper but Atalanta secured the decisive strike in the closing stages when the Blues defenders retreated from the midfielder, who took full advantage with a driven shot.

The visitors attempted to rescue a point late on but a excellent stop by Marco Carnesecchi denied Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that qualify automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two league phase fixtures remaining.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, jump up to third, three points ahead of the Londoners.

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Sequence Continues

This was a hugely frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a point was keeping them in a strong position to secure the top eight finish they need to bypass the uncertainty of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lacked concentration in defence with seven minutes remaining and their opponents capitalised completely.

The Italian side are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging examination for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be departing with nothing after securing the early advantage.

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

Since beating Barcelona 3-0 at the close of November they are now without a win in their last four matches.

Excessive Changes Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this game as he continued his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

The changes here came after he implemented the same number for the loss to Leeds and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

Maresca will see rotation as vital as he attempts to handle players' fitness and compete both at home and in Europe, but he stated the central contingent of players stays the unchanged for crucial fixtures.

"I think tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, and the Gunners," he stated.

"If you look at the five changes that we made compared to Bournemouth it may be different but it involves the eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

"The ones who took to the field tonight are the individuals playing almost all the games."

What Next for These Teams?

Chelsea's next European game sees them host Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

The Italian team, meanwhile, host Athletic Club at the identical kick-off time.