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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the interval and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker grabs a last-gasp decisive goal for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea slide to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.

Chelsea's chances of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were hit hard as their Italian opponents came from behind to claim victory in Bergamo.

Both sides entered this match with matching points tallies in the league phase of this year's competition, having won, drawn, and lost to sit on 10 points.

For much of the game there was little to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea took the lead in the first half when the Brazilian finished the captain's cross.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a danger going on the attack, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker causing issues for the backline.

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

Alejandro Garnacho drove a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta secured the winning goal in the closing stages when the Blues defenders retreated from the midfielder, who seized the opportunity with a powerful strike.

Chelsea tried to rescue a point late on but a excellent stop by Marco Carnesecchi denied Joao Pedro.

The result means Chelsea slip out of the top eight—the positions that progress automatically for the knockouts—to eleventh with two group stage games remaining.

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

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Sequence Persists

This was a hugely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to achieve the top eight finish they need to avoid the lottery of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and their opponents capitalised completely.

The Italians are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a tough examination 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 perpetuates Chelsea's worrying streak of results in all competitions.

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

Excessive Changes Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made five changes for this match as he persisted with his policy of rotating players in and out of the starting lineup.

The rotations here followed after he implemented the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

Maresca will see squad rotation as vital as he tries to handle players' fitness and challenge both at home and abroad, but he insisted the core group of players stays the unchanged for important fixtures.

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

"If you look at the five alterations that we made compared to the previous game it may be different but it involves the eight or nine players playing in that match.

"The ones who took to the field this evening are the ones who feature in almost all the games."

What's Next for These Sides?

The Blues' next Champions League game sees them host the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

The Italian team, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Club at the same time.