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Match Summary

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the break and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a last-gasp decisive goal for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of securing a place automatically for the European Cup knockouts were hit hard as their Italian opponents came from behind to win in Bergamo.

The two teams went into this match with matching points tallies in the league phase of this year's competition, having won, tied one, and suffered one defeat to sit on 10 points.

For large parts there was not much to distinguish them in this contest too, although Chelsea took the lead in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro converted the captain's delivery.

But The Serie A side consistently appeared a danger going forward, with former Charlton and Everton attacker causing problems for the backline.

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta increased the pressure and rightfully drew level when former West Ham United striker headed in a cross.

The winger hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but Atalanta got the decisive strike late on when the Blues defenders retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a low strike.

The visitors tried to rescue a draw late on but a excellent stop by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Pedro.

The result means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two league phase fixtures left to play.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Form Continues

This was a extremely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to secure the top eight position they require to avoid the uncertainty of the qualifying play-off round.

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

The Italian side are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a tough test for the visitors, but they will be disappointed to be leaving with nothing after taking the lead.

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

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

Too Many Changes Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Maresca enacted five alterations for this match as he persisted with his strategy of moving players in and out of the starting lineup.

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

The coach will see rotation as vital as he attempts to manage players' minutes and compete both at home and in Europe, but he stated the key nucleus of players remains the same for important fixtures.

"I think in this match [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, and the Gunners," he commented.

"If you look at the five alterations that we did compared to the previous game it is different but it is the eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

"The players who took to the field tonight are the ones playing almost all the matches."

What's Next for These Teams?

Chelsea's next Champions League fixture sees them welcome the Cypriot side on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).

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