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At a Glance

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the interval and draw level through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker grabs a last-gasp decisive goal for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to 11th in the league phase of the Champions League.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockout phase.

The London club's chances of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were dealt a blow as Atalanta came from behind to win in their home stadium.

Each club entered this fixture with identical records in the initial stage of this season's competition, having won, drawn, and suffered one defeat to have accrued ten points.

For much of the game there was very little to choose between them in this contest too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro finished Reece James' delivery.

But Atalanta always looked a danger going forwards, with ex- Premier League attacker causing problems for the defence.

Reece James shot wide in the second half but Atalanta increased the intensity and rightfully drew level when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

The winger drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but Atalanta got the winning goal late on when the Blues defence backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a low strike.

Chelsea attempted to rescue a draw late on but a excellent stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Pedro.

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

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

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Run Continues

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

But they let their concentration slip in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta capitalised completely.

The Italian side are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult examination for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with nothing after taking the early advantage.

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

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

Excessive Changes Proving Costly?

Chelsea boss Maresca made five alterations for this match as he persisted with his run of rotating players in and out of the starting lineup.

The changes here followed after he implemented the same number for the loss to Leeds United and six for the draw with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Bergamo.

Maresca will view squad rotation as necessary as he attempts to manage players' minutes and compete both at home and abroad, but he stated the key nucleus of players stays the unchanged for key fixtures.

"I believe tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, and the Gunners," he said.

"If you look at the five changes that we did compared to Bournemouth it may be different but it involves the eight or nine players playing in that match.

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

What Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European fixture sees them welcome Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

Atalanta, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Club at the identical kick-off time.