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Match Summary

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the interval and draw level through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker nets a last-gasp winner for the home side.
• The defeat means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

The London club's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were dealt a blow as Atalanta fought back to claim victory in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this game with identical records in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having won, tied one, and suffered one defeat to be on ten points.

For large parts there was very little to distinguish them in this encounter too, although Chelsea went ahead in the first half when Joao Pedro finished Reece James' cross.

But Atalanta always looked a threat going forward, with former Charlton and Everton attacker causing issues for the defence.

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta raised the intensity and justly drew level when ex-West Ham striker headed in a cross.

The winger hammered a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but they secured the winning goal late on when the Blues defenders backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a powerful strike.

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

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

Atalanta, in contrast, climb up to third place, three points clear of the Londoners.

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Form Continues

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

But they let their concentration slip in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents capitalised completely.

The Italian side are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging examination for the visitors, but they will be annoyed to be departing with no points after taking the lead.

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

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

Too Many Rotations Turning Out to Be Costly?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this game as he persisted with his run of rotating players in and out of the starting 11.

The rotations here came after he implemented the identical amount for the loss to Leeds United and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

The coach will see rotation as necessary as he tries to manage players' minutes and compete both at home and abroad, but he maintained the key nucleus of players remains the same for key games.

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

"If you look at the five alterations that we did relative to the previous game it is a change but it is the same eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

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

What Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European game sees them host Pafos on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).

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