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Match Summary

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the interval and draw level through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker grabs a late decisive goal for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the group stage of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.

Chelsea's chances of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta fought back to win in their home stadium.

The two teams went into this fixture with matching points tallies in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having secured three victories, tied one, and lost to sit on ten points.

For extended periods there was little to choose between them in this contest too, even though Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian finished the captain's cross.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a danger going forward, with ex- Premier League attacker causing issues for the defence.

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but the home team increased the intensity and deservedly levelled when former West Ham United striker nodded home a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but they secured the decisive strike late on when the Blues defenders backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a driven shot.

Chelsea tried to rescue a point in stoppage time but a excellent stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea fall out of the top eight—the spots that progress automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two group stage matches remaining.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, jump up to third, three points ahead of the Blues.

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Form Continues

This was a extremely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to achieve the top-eight finish they need to avoid the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta seized the moment.

The Italian side are in rich vein of 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 no points after securing the early advantage.

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

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

Too Many Rotations Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Manager Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this match as he continued his policy of moving players in and out of the first team.

The rotations here came after he made the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the draw with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

Maresca will see squad rotation as necessary as he attempts to manage players' workloads and compete both at domestically and abroad, but he maintained the core group of players stays the same for important 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 commented.

"If you see the five changes that we did relative to Bournemouth it may be a change but it involves the same eight or nine players who played in that match.

"The ones who took to the field this evening are the ones who feature in almost all the games."

What's Next for These Clubs?

The Blues' next Champions League fixture sees them host the Cypriot side on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

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