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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the interval and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere scores a last-gasp winner for the home side.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as Atalanta overturned a deficit to claim victory in Bergamo.

The two teams entered this game with matching records in the league phase of this season's tournament, having won, drawn, and suffered one defeat to have accrued ten points.

For large parts 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 turned in Reece James' delivery.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a danger going forward, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker creating problems for the defence.

Reece James shot wide in the second half but the home team upped the intensity and deservedly equalised when former West Ham United striker headed in a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but Atalanta got the winning goal in the closing stages when the Chelsea defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a driven finish.

The visitors attempted to salvage a draw late on but a brilliant stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Pedro.

The outcome means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two group stage fixtures left to play.

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

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Form Continues

This was a hugely frustrating result for Chelsea as even a point was keeping them well placed to secure the top eight finish they require to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta took full advantage.

The Italians are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the visitors, but they will be annoyed to be leaving with no points after securing the lead.

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

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

Too Many Changes Turning Out to Be Costly?

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

The changes here came after he implemented the identical amount for the loss to Leeds and six for the draw with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

The coach will see squad rotation as essential as he attempts to handle players' fitness and challenge both at domestically and abroad, but he insisted the core group of players remains the unchanged for key fixtures.

"I believe tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham, FC Barcelona, and Arsenal," 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 tonight are the ones who feature in almost all the games."

What Next for These Clubs?

The Blues' next Champions League fixture sees them host the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).

The Italian team, meanwhile, host Athletic Bilbao at the same time.