🔗 Share this article

Key Moments

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• Atalanta the stronger side after the break and draw level through the striker.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a last-gasp decisive goal for the home side.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were dealt a blow as their Italian opponents overturned a deficit to win in their home stadium.

Each club entered this fixture with identical records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, tied one, and suffered one defeat to be on 10 points.

For extended periods there was very little to separate them in this contest too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian finished Reece James' cross.

But Atalanta remained a danger going forward, with former Premier League attacker causing problems for the backline.

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta upped the pressure and rightfully drew level when former West Ham United striker nodded home a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but they got the winner in the closing stages when the Chelsea defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who took full advantage with a powerful strike.

The visitors attempted to salvage a point in stoppage time but a brilliant stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro.

The outcome means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the knockouts—to eleventh with two league phase fixtures remaining.

Atalanta, meanwhile, climb up to third place, three points ahead of the Londoners.

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Run Continues

This was a extremely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to secure the top-eight finish they need to avoid the uncertainty of the play-offs.

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

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

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

Since beating Barcelona 3-0 at the end of November they are now without a win in their last four matches.

Excessive Rotations Proving Costly?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made five alterations for this game as he continued his run of rotating players in and out of the starting 11.

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

Maresca will view rotation as necessary as he tries to manage players' minutes and challenge both at domestically and in Europe, but he insisted the key nucleus of players remains the unchanged for key fixtures.

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

"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 who played in that match.

"The players who played this evening are the ones playing almost all the matches."

What Next for These Teams?

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 identical kick-off time.