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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• Atalanta the stronger side after the interval and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a late winner for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams progress automatically for the last 16.

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

Both sides went into this fixture with the same points tallies in the league phase of this season's competition, having secured three victories, tied one, and lost to sit on ten points.

For extended periods there was not much to distinguish them in this encounter too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro finished the captain's cross.

But The Serie A side consistently appeared a threat going forwards, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker causing issues for the defence.

Reece James shot wide in the second half but the home team increased the pressure and justly equalised when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but they got the winning goal late on when the Chelsea defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a low strike.

Chelsea attempted to rescue a draw late on but a brilliant save by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Joao Pedro.

The result means Chelsea slip out of the top eight—the spots that qualify automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage games remaining.

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

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Sequence Continues

This was a deeply disappointing 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 let their concentration slip in defence with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta seized the moment.

The Italian side are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a tough examination for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with no points after securing the early advantage.

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

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

Excessive Changes Turning Out to Be Costly?

Chelsea boss Maresca enacted five changes for this match as he continued his strategy of moving players in and out of the first team.

The changes here came after he made the same number for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the draw with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Bergamo.

Maresca will view squad rotation as essential as he tries to manage players' minutes and compete both at domestically and in Europe, but he insisted the central contingent of players remains the unchanged for crucial games.

"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 said.

"If you look at the five changes that we did compared to Bournemouth it is 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 who feature in almost all the matches."

What Next for These Teams?

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

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