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At a Glance

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• Atalanta the stronger side after the break and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a late decisive goal for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to 11th in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were suffered a setback as their Italian opponents came from behind to win in their home stadium.

Each club went into this match with matching points tallies in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having won, tied one, and lost to have accrued ten points.

For much of the game there was little to separate them in this encounter too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro finished Reece James' cross.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a danger going on the attack, with ex- Premier League attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the backline.

James fired wide in the after the break but Atalanta increased the intensity and deservedly equalised when former West Ham United striker nodded home a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta secured the winning goal in the closing stages when the Chelsea defence backed off the midfielder, who seized the opportunity with a driven shot.

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

The final score means Chelsea slip out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that qualify automatically for the next round—to 11th with two league phase matches remaining.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Sequence Continues

This was a deeply frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to secure the top eight finish they require to avoid the lottery of the qualifying play-off round.

But they let their concentration slip in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents seized the moment.

The Italians are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the Blues, but they will be annoyed to be leaving with nothing after taking the early advantage.

But the broader context is that this extends Chelsea's troubling sequence of form in all tournaments.

Since beating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the close of November they are now winless in their last four outings.

Too Many Rotations Proving Costly?

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

The changes here followed after he made the identical amount for the loss to Leeds United and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

Maresca will view squad rotation as vital as he attempts to manage players' workloads and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he stated the central contingent of players stays the same for key fixtures.

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

"If you see the five changes that we made compared to Bournemouth it is different but it is the eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

"The players who played this evening are the ones who feature in almost all the games."

What's Next for These Teams?

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

Atalanta, meanwhile, host Athletic Club at the same time.