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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the better side after the interval and equalise through the striker.
• Charles de Ketelaere nets a late winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockout phase.

Chelsea's ambitions of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockouts were suffered a setback as their Italian opponents came from behind to triumph in Bergamo.

The two teams entered this fixture with the same records in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having won, drawn, and lost to be on ten points.

For extended periods there was very little to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro turned in the captain's delivery.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a danger going forwards, with former Premier League attacker causing issues for the backline.

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

Alejandro Garnacho drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but they got the winner late on when the Blues defenders retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who took full advantage with a driven shot.

The visitors tried to salvage a draw late on but a superb stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro.

The result means Chelsea fall out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that qualify automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two league phase games remaining.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, jump up to third, three points ahead of the Blues.

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Form Persists

This was a hugely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to secure the top eight position they require to bypass the lottery of the play-offs.

But they lacked concentration in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta took full advantage.

The Italians are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the visitors, but they will be annoyed to be leaving with no points after taking the lead.

But the broader context is that this continues Chelsea's concerning streak of results in all tournaments.

Since beating Barcelona 3-0 at the close of November they are now without a win in their last four games.

Too Many Changes Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this game as he persisted with his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

The changes here came after he implemented the same number for the loss to Leeds United and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.

Maresca will see rotation as essential as he attempts to handle players' fitness and challenge both at domestically and in Europe, but he stated the key nucleus of players stays the unchanged for crucial fixtures.

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

"If you see the five changes that we did relative to Bournemouth it is different but it is the eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

"The ones who took to the field tonight are the ones playing almost all the games."

What's Next for These Sides?

Chelsea's next Champions League fixture sees them welcome the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).

Atalanta, on the other hand, are at home to Athletic Bilbao at the identical kick-off time.