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Match Summary

• The Chelsea forward hands Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker scores a late decisive goal for the home side.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockout phase.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were suffered a setback as Atalanta fought back to win in Bergamo.

The two teams went into this game with identical records in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having won, tied one, and lost to be on 10 points.

For extended periods there was not much to distinguish them in this encounter too, even though Chelsea took the lead in the first half when the Brazilian converted Reece James' cross.

But Atalanta always looked a threat going on the attack, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the defence.

James fired wide in the after the break but Atalanta upped the intensity and rightfully equalised when former West Ham United striker headed in a cross.

The winger drove a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they got the winning goal in the closing stages when the Chelsea defenders backed off the midfielder, who took full advantage with a driven strike.

The visitors attempted to salvage a point late on but a brilliant stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Pedro.

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

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

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Sequence Continues

This was a hugely frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to achieve the top-eight finish they require to bypass the lottery 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 good form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be departing with nothing after taking the lead.

But the bigger picture is that this continues Chelsea's worrying sequence of form in all tournaments.

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

Too Many Rotations Proving Costly?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this match as he persisted with his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

The rotations here followed after he implemented the same number for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

The coach will view rotation as necessary as he tries to manage players' minutes and challenge both at home and abroad, but he insisted the central contingent of players stays the same for crucial fixtures.

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

"If you see the five changes that we did relative to the previous game it may be different but it is the same eight or nine players playing in that match.

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

What Next for These Teams?

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

The Italian team, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Club at the same time.