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Key Moments

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the stronger side after the break 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 group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockout phase.

Chelsea's hopes of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta overturned a deficit to triumph in Bergamo.

Each club went into this fixture with identical records in the league phase of this season's competition, having won, drawn, and lost to sit on 10 points.

For extended periods there was little to choose between them in this contest too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro finished Reece James' cross.

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

Reece James fired wide in the after the break but the home team raised the intensity and justly drew level when ex-West Ham striker headed in a centering pass.

The winger hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but Atalanta scored the decisive strike in the closing stages when the Blues defenders retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a powerful shot.

Chelsea attempted to rescue a point in stoppage time but a superb save by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro.

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

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

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Sequence Persists

This was a deeply frustrating result for Chelsea as even a draw was keeping them well placed to secure the top eight finish they require to avoid the uncertainty of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents took full advantage.

The Italian side are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a tough examination for the Blues, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with nothing after taking the lead.

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

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

Excessive Changes Turning Out to Be Costly?

Chelsea boss Maresca made five changes for this game as he continued his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

The changes here came after he made the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

Maresca will see rotation as necessary as he attempts to handle players' fitness and challenge both at home and abroad, but he maintained the key nucleus of players remains the unchanged for crucial games.

"I believe tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, and the Gunners," he stated.

"If you look at the five changes that we did compared to the previous game it may be different but it is the eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

"The players who took to the field tonight are the ones who feature in almost all the games."

Up Next for These Sides?

The Blues' next European game sees them host Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

The Italian team, meanwhile, host Athletic Bilbao at the identical kick-off time.