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Match Summary

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the interval and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker nets a late winner for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.

Chelsea's hopes of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as their Italian opponents fought back to win in Bergamo.

Both sides went into this match with identical records in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having secured three victories, tied one, and lost to sit on 10 points.

For much of the game there was very little to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian finished the captain's cross.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a threat going on the attack, with former Charlton and Everton attacker causing problems for the backline.

Reece James fired wide in the after the break but the home team upped the pressure and deservedly levelled when ex-West Ham striker nodded home a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but they got the winning goal late on when the Chelsea defenders backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who took full advantage with a driven finish.

The visitors tried to rescue a point late on but a superb save by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Pedro.

The outcome means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the positions that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage games remaining.

Atalanta, in contrast, climb up to third, three points ahead of the Londoners.

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Sequence Continues

This was a hugely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to secure the top eight finish they need to bypass the uncertainty of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta took full advantage.

The Italian side are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a tough examination for the Blues, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with no points after taking the early advantage.

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

Since beating Barcelona 3-0 at the end of November they are now winless in their last four matches.

Too Many Changes Proving Costly?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca made five rotations for this match as he continued his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

The rotations here came after he made the same number for the loss to Leeds United and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the trip to Bergamo.

The coach will view squad rotation as necessary as he tries to handle players' fitness and compete both at domestically and abroad, but he insisted the central contingent of players remains the unchanged for crucial fixtures.

"I believe tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, and Arsenal," he stated.

"If you look at the five alterations that we did compared to the previous game it may be a change but it involves the eight or nine players playing in that match.

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

What Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European fixture sees them host Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).

Atalanta, meanwhile, host Athletic Bilbao at the identical kick-off time.