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At a Glance

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• Atalanta the stronger side after the interval and equalise through the striker.
• Charles de Ketelaere nets a last-gasp decisive goal for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea slide to eleventh place in the league phase of the Champions League.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the knockout phase.

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

Each club went into this fixture with the same records in the league phase of this season's competition, having won, drawn, and suffered one defeat to have accrued ten points.

For much of the game there was very little to choose between them in this contest too, even though Chelsea went ahead in the first half when the Brazilian turned in Reece James' cross.

But Atalanta remained a danger going forward, with ex- Premier League attacker causing problems for the defence.

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

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they got the winner in the closing stages when the Chelsea defenders backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a powerful shot.

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

The result means Chelsea fall out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage fixtures remaining.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Sequence Continues

This was a deeply frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to secure 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 remaining and their opponents seized the moment.

The Italians are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult examination for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with no points after securing the early advantage.

But the broader context is that this perpetuates Chelsea's concerning sequence 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?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this match as he persisted with his run of rotating players in and out of the first team.

The changes 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 journey to Bergamo.

Maresca will view squad rotation as necessary as he attempts to handle players' workloads and compete both at domestically and in Europe, but he stated the key nucleus of players stays the same for crucial fixtures.

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

"If you see the five alterations that we did compared to Bournemouth it may be different but it involves the eight or nine players playing in that match.

"The players who played tonight are the individuals playing almost all the games."

Up Next for These Sides?

The Blues' next Champions League fixture sees them welcome the Cypriot side on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

Atalanta, on the other hand, are at home to Athletic Club at the same time.