🔗 Share this article

Match Summary

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the interval and draw level through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker scores a last-gasp winner for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the group stage of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the knockout phase.

The London club's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were hit hard as their Italian opponents overturned a deficit to claim victory in Bergamo.

Each club went into this fixture with the same records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, drawn, and lost to be on 10 points.

For extended periods there was 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 Reece James' delivery.

But The Serie A side always looked a threat going forward, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman issues for the defence.

Reece James fired wide in the second half but the home team upped the intensity and justly drew level when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a cross.

The winger hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but Atalanta secured the winning goal late on when the Blues defenders retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who took full advantage with a driven strike.

Chelsea attempted to rescue a point in stoppage time but a superb stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Pedro.

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

The Bergamo club, meanwhile, leap up to third, three points ahead of the Blues.

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Run Persists

This was a hugely frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to secure the top-eight finish they need to bypass the lottery of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lost focus in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents took full advantage.

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

But the wider issue is that this continues Chelsea's troubling sequence of form in all competitions.

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

Too Many Rotations Proving Costly?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this match as he persisted with his run of moving players in and out of the starting lineup.

The rotations here followed after he made the same number for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

The coach will view squad rotation as necessary as he attempts to handle players' workloads and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he maintained the central contingent of players stays the same for crucial games.

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

"If you see the five alterations that we did compared to the previous game it may be different but it is the same eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

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

Up Next for These Clubs?

The Blues' next Champions League game sees them welcome Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).

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