🔗 Share this article

At a Glance

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and equalise through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker grabs a last-gasp decisive goal for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16.

The London club's chances of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as their Italian opponents fought back to triumph in Bergamo.

Each club went into this game with the same points tallies in the initial stage of this year's tournament, having secured three victories, drawn, and lost to be on 10 points.

For extended periods there was little to separate them in this encounter too, although Chelsea took the lead in the first half when the Brazilian turned in Reece James' cross.

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

James shot wide in the second half but Atalanta raised the pressure and rightfully levelled when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta got the decisive strike late on when the Blues defence retreated from the midfielder, who made no mistake with a low shot.

The visitors attempted to salvage a draw late on but a excellent save by Marco Carnesecchi denied Joao Pedro.

The result means Chelsea fall out of the top eight—the spots that qualify automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two group stage matches remaining.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, jump up to third place, three points clear of the Blues.

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Sequence Continues

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

But they let their concentration slip in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents seized the moment.

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

But the wider issue is that this continues Chelsea's worrying sequence of form in all tournaments.

Since defeating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the end of November they are now without a win in their last four games.

Excessive Changes Proving Costly?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this match as he continued his policy of rotating players in and out of the starting lineup.

The rotations here came after he made the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

The coach will view rotation as essential as he attempts to manage players' minutes and compete both at domestically and abroad, but he insisted the core group of players remains the unchanged for important fixtures.

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

"If you see the five changes that we made relative to the previous game it may be a change but it is the same eight or nine players who played in that match.

"The players who played tonight are the individuals who feature in almost all the matches."

What's Next for These Teams?

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

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