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Match Summary

• The Chelsea forward hands Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere scores a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's ambitions of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta came from behind to triumph in their home stadium.

Both sides went into this match with identical records in the initial stage of this year's tournament, having won, drawn, and lost to have accrued 10 points.

For much of the game there was very little to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea took the lead in the first half when Joao Pedro converted the captain's cross.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a danger going on the attack, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker creating problems for the defence.

James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta upped the pressure and deservedly levelled when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a cross.

The winger hammered a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but they secured the winning goal in the closing stages when the Chelsea defenders retreated from the midfielder, who seized the opportunity with a powerful shot.

The visitors tried to rescue a draw late on but a superb stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the positions that qualify automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two league phase matches left to play.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Form Persists

This was a deeply disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was keeping them well placed to secure the top-eight finish they require to bypass the lottery of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lost focus in defence with seven minutes remaining and their opponents seized the moment.

The Italians 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 wider issue is that this extends Chelsea's concerning streak of form in all tournaments.

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

Too Many Changes Proving Costly?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this game as he persisted with his policy of rotating players in and out of the first team.

The changes here came after he made the same number for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the draw with Bournemouth prior to the journey to Bergamo.

Maresca will see rotation as necessary as he tries to manage players' workloads and challenge both at domestically and in Europe, but he maintained the core group of players remains the same for crucial games.

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

"If you look at the five changes that we made compared to Bournemouth it is a change but it involves the eight or nine players playing in that match.

"The ones who took to the field tonight are the individuals who feature in almost all the matches."

Up Next for These Sides?

The Blues' next European fixture sees them host Pafos on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).

The Italian team, meanwhile, host Athletic Club at the same time.