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Match Summary

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the break and equalise through the striker.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a late winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the last 16.

The London club's hopes of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were dealt a blow as Atalanta overturned a deficit to claim victory in Bergamo.

The two teams entered this game with identical records in the initial stage of this season's competition, having secured three victories, drawn, and lost to sit on ten points.

For much of the game there was not much to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when Joao Pedro converted Reece James' delivery.

But The Serie A side always looked a danger going on the attack, with ex- Premier League attacker causing issues for the defence.

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta upped the intensity and deservedly levelled when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but they got the winner in the closing stages when the Blues defenders backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a driven finish.

The visitors tried to rescue a draw in stoppage time but a excellent save by Marco Carnesecchi denied Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two league phase fixtures left to play.

Atalanta, meanwhile, leap up to third, three points clear of the Londoners.

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Run Continues

This was a deeply frustrating result for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to secure the top eight position they require to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lacked concentration in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta seized the moment.

The Italians are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging test for the visitors, but they will be annoyed to be leaving with nothing after securing the lead.

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

Since defeating Barcelona 3-0 at the end of November they are now winless in their last four matches.

Too Many Rotations Proving Costly?

Manager Enzo Maresca enacted five alterations for this match as he continued his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

The changes here came after he implemented the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

Maresca will see squad rotation as essential as he tries to handle players' fitness and compete both at domestically and in Europe, but he stated the core group of players remains the same for crucial fixtures.

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

"If you look at the five alterations that we did compared to Bournemouth it is different but it involves the same eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

"The ones who played tonight are the individuals playing almost all the games."

What's Next for These Sides?

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

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