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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockouts were dealt a blow as their Italian opponents came from behind to claim victory in their home stadium.

Each club went into this game with identical records in the league phase of this season's tournament, having won, drawn, and lost to have accrued ten points.

For large parts there was very little to distinguish them in this encounter too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro turned in the captain's cross.

But Atalanta always looked a threat going on the attack, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker creating issues for the defence.

James shot wide in the second half but Atalanta upped the intensity and rightfully drew level when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but they scored the winner in the closing stages when the Chelsea defenders retreated from the midfielder, who made no mistake with a driven finish.

The visitors tried to rescue a point late on but a excellent save by Marco Carnesecchi denied Joao Pedro.

The result means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that progress automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two group stage matches left to play.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Sequence Continues

This was a deeply frustrating result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to achieve the top-eight position they need to avoid the lottery of the play-offs.

But they lacked concentration in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta took full advantage.

The Italians are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a tough test for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with nothing after securing the lead.

But the wider issue is that this perpetuates Chelsea's concerning streak 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 outings.

Too Many Changes Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five alterations for this game as he persisted with his strategy of moving players in and out of the starting lineup.

The changes here followed after he made the identical amount for the loss to Leeds United and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

The coach will view rotation as necessary as he attempts to manage players' workloads and challenge both at home and abroad, but he maintained the central contingent of players remains the same for key fixtures.

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

"If you see the five changes that we made compared to the previous game it may be a change but it involves the same eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

"The ones who played this evening are the individuals who feature in almost all the games."

Up Next for These Teams?

Chelsea's next Champions League fixture sees them host Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

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