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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 Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere nets a last-gasp winner for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to 11th in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were dealt a blow as Atalanta fought back to claim victory in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this fixture with matching records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having secured three victories, tied one, and lost to be on ten points.

For much of the game there was little to separate them in this encounter too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when the Brazilian converted Reece James' cross.

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

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but the home team increased the intensity and deservedly drew level when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a cross.

The winger hammered a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta secured the winning goal late on when the Blues defenders backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a driven strike.

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

The final score means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the positions that qualify automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage matches left to play.

The Bergamo club, meanwhile, climb up to third place, three points clear of the Londoners.

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Run Continues

This was a hugely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to achieve the top-eight finish they require to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lacked concentration in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents capitalised completely.

The Italians are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult examination for the Blues, but they will be annoyed to be departing with no points after taking the lead.

But the wider issue is that this perpetuates Chelsea's troubling run of form in all competitions.

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

Too Many Changes Proving Expensive?

Manager Enzo Maresca made five alterations for this match as he continued his strategy of moving players in and out of the first team.

The rotations here followed after he made the same number for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the draw with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

The coach will see squad rotation as vital as he tries to manage players' workloads and challenge both at home and abroad, but he maintained the key nucleus of players stays the same for key games.

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

"If you look at the five changes that we did relative to Bournemouth it may be different but it involves the eight or nine players who played in that match.

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

Up Next for These Teams?

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

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