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Match Summary

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• Atalanta the better side after the interval and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere scores a last-gasp decisive goal for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the knockouts.

The London club's chances of securing a place automatically for the European Cup knockouts were dealt a blow as their Italian opponents came from behind to win in Bergamo.

Each club entered this fixture with the same records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, drawn, and lost to have accrued ten points.

For extended periods there was very little to choose between them in this contest too, even though Chelsea went ahead in the first half when Joao Pedro turned in Reece James' delivery.

But The Serie A side consistently appeared a threat going on the attack, with ex- Premier League attacker creating issues for the backline.

Reece James fired wide in the second half but Atalanta increased the intensity and deservedly levelled when ex-West Ham striker headed in a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but they secured the winner in the closing stages when the Chelsea defence backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a low strike.

The visitors attempted to salvage a point in stoppage time but a superb save by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea fall out of the top eight—the positions that progress automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two group stage matches remaining.

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

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Form Continues

This was a extremely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to secure the top-eight position they need to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lost focus in defence with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta took full advantage.

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

But the bigger picture is that this continues Chelsea's troubling sequence of results in all competitions.

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

Too Many Changes Proving Costly?

Chelsea boss Maresca enacted five alterations for this game as he persisted with his run 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 journey to Bergamo.

The coach will see rotation as essential as he attempts to handle players' minutes and challenge both at home and abroad, but he maintained the core group of players stays the same for key games.

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

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

"The ones who took to the field this evening are the ones playing almost all the games."

What Next for These Clubs?

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

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