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At a Glance

• The Chelsea forward hands Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the interval and equalise through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker nets a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea slide to 11th in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were dealt a blow as Atalanta came from behind to win in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this fixture with identical points tallies in the league phase of this year's tournament, having won, tied one, and suffered one defeat to be on ten points.

For much of the game there was not much to separate them in this contest too, although Chelsea took the lead in the first half when Joao Pedro finished the captain's delivery.

But Atalanta remained a threat going forward, with ex- Premier League attacker creating issues for the defence.

Reece James fired wide in the second half but Atalanta raised the pressure and deservedly drew level when former West Ham United striker headed in a cross.

The winger hammered a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta secured the decisive strike in the closing stages when the Chelsea defenders backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who took full advantage with a low shot.

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

The outcome means Chelsea fall out of the top eight—the positions that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage fixtures left to play.

Atalanta, in contrast, jump up to third place, three points ahead of the Blues.

Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Run Continues

This was a extremely frustrating result for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them in a strong position to achieve the top-eight position they need to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they let their concentration slip in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta capitalised completely.

The Italians are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the visitors, but they will be disappointed to be leaving with no points after taking the lead.

But the wider issue is that this perpetuates Chelsea's worrying streak of results in all competitions.

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

Too Many Rotations Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this match as he continued his run of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

The changes here followed after he made the same number for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Bergamo.

Maresca will see squad rotation as vital as he attempts to manage players' minutes and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he insisted the key nucleus of players stays the same for crucial games.

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

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

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

Up Next for These Teams?

The Blues' next European fixture sees them welcome Pafos on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

Atalanta, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Club at the same time.