🔗 Share this article

At a Glance

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the break and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker grabs a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea slide to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
• The leading eight teams progress automatically for the knockout phase.

The London club's chances of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were suffered a setback as their Italian opponents came from behind to claim victory in Bergamo.

Each club went into this game with identical points tallies in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, drawn, and suffered one defeat to sit on 10 points.

For much of the game there was very little to separate them in this encounter too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian finished the captain's delivery.

But The Serie A side consistently appeared a danger going on the attack, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the backline.

James shot wide in the second half but Atalanta raised the intensity and deservedly equalised when former West Ham United striker nodded home a centering pass.

The winger drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but they scored the winner late on when the Chelsea defenders retreated from the midfielder, who took full advantage with a powerful shot.

The visitors attempted to salvage a draw in stoppage time but a superb stop by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Joao Pedro.

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

Atalanta, meanwhile, climb up to third, three points ahead of the Londoners.

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Form Persists

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

But they lacked concentration 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 tough examination for the Blues, but they will be disappointed to be departing with nothing after taking the lead.

But the broader context is that this perpetuates Chelsea's concerning streak of form in all tournaments.

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

Too Many Changes Proving Costly?

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

The rotations here followed after he implemented the identical amount for the loss to Leeds and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Bergamo.

Maresca will view squad rotation as necessary as he attempts to handle players' minutes and compete both at home and abroad, but he insisted the central contingent of players remains the unchanged for crucial fixtures.

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

"If you look at the five changes that we made relative to the previous game it may be different but it is the same eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

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

What's Next for These Clubs?

The Blues' next European game sees them host the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

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