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Match Summary

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the interval and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere nets a last-gasp decisive goal for the home side.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

The London club's chances of securing a place automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were hit hard as Atalanta overturned a deficit to triumph in Bergamo.

Each club went into this match with identical records in the initial stage of this season's competition, having secured three victories, tied one, and lost to be on 10 points.

For extended periods there was not much to distinguish them in this contest too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when Joao Pedro turned in the captain's cross.

But The Serie A side consistently appeared a danger going forwards, with ex- Premier League attacker creating issues for the backline.

Reece James fired wide in the second half but the home team raised the pressure and rightfully equalised when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

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

The visitors attempted to rescue a draw in stoppage time but a brilliant save by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea slip out of the top eight—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two group stage matches left to play.

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

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Run Persists

This was a deeply frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a point was keeping them well placed to secure the top eight finish they need to bypass the lottery of the play-offs.

But they let their concentration slip in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and their opponents capitalised completely.

The Italian side are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a tough examination for the Blues, but they will be annoyed to be leaving with nothing after taking the lead.

But the wider issue 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 without a win in their last four games.

Too Many Rotations Turning Out to Be Costly?

Chelsea boss Maresca made five changes for this match as he continued his policy of rotating players in and out of the starting lineup.

The rotations 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 see rotation as vital as he attempts to manage players' fitness and challenge both at domestically and abroad, but he maintained the key nucleus of players remains the unchanged for crucial games.

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

"If you see the five changes that we made relative to Bournemouth it may be a change but it involves the same eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

"The players who took to the field tonight are the individuals playing almost all the games."

What's Next for These Clubs?

The Blues' next European fixture sees them welcome the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).

Atalanta, on the other hand, host Athletic Bilbao at the same time.