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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the group stage of the Champions League.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as their Italian opponents came from behind to triumph in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this game with matching points tallies in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, tied one, and lost to be on ten points.

For much of the game there was little to separate them in this contest too, although Chelsea went ahead in the first half when Joao Pedro converted the captain's delivery.

But The Serie A side remained a threat going forward, with former Premier League attacker causing issues for the backline.

Reece James fired wide in the second half but Atalanta upped the intensity and rightfully levelled when ex-West Ham striker headed in a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta got the decisive strike late on when the Chelsea defence backed off the midfielder, who took full advantage with a driven shot.

Chelsea attempted to salvage a draw late on but a superb stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea slip out of the top eight—the spots that qualify automatically for the next round—to 11th with two league phase matches remaining.

Atalanta, in contrast, leap up to third place, three points clear of the Blues.

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Form Continues

This was a hugely frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was keeping them in a strong position to achieve the top-eight finish they require to bypass the lottery of the qualifying play-off round.

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

The Italian side are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging examination for the Blues, but they will be disappointed to be departing with no points after securing the lead.

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

Since defeating Barcelona 3-0 at the close of November they are now winless in their last four games.

Excessive Rotations Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca made five changes for this match as he persisted with his strategy of rotating players in and out of the starting 11.

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

Maresca will view rotation as vital as he attempts to manage players' workloads and compete both at home and in Europe, but he maintained the core group of players stays the unchanged for crucial games.

"I think tonight [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham, FC Barcelona, and the Gunners," he stated.

"If you see the five alterations that we made compared to Bournemouth it may be a change but it is the same eight or nine players who played in that match.

"The ones who took to the field tonight are the individuals who feature in almost all the games."

What Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European game sees them host the Cypriot side on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).

The Italian team, on the other hand, are at home to Athletic Bilbao at the same time.