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Key Moments

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
• Atalanta the stronger side after the break and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker scores a last-gasp decisive goal for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to 11th in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockouts were hit hard as Atalanta overturned a deficit to win in their home stadium.

The two teams went into this match with the same records in the initial stage of this season's competition, having won, tied one, and lost to have accrued 10 points.

For much of the game there was very little to choose between them in this encounter too, although Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian finished Reece James' cross.

But The Serie A side consistently appeared a danger going forwards, with former Charlton and Everton attacker causing problems for the defence.

Reece James fired wide in the after the break but the home team increased the pressure and deservedly equalised when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

The winger hammered a strong effort straight at the keeper but they got the decisive strike late on when the Blues defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a powerful strike.

The visitors attempted to rescue a draw late on but a superb stop by Marco Carnesecchi denied Pedro.

The outcome means Chelsea fall out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two group stage fixtures left to play.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Form Continues

This was a extremely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to secure the top-eight position they need to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lost focus in defence with seven minutes remaining and their opponents took full advantage.

The Italians are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging test for the Blues, but they will be annoyed to be departing with nothing after securing the lead.

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

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

Excessive Rotations Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Manager Enzo Maresca made five rotations for this match as he continued his policy of rotating players in and out of the starting 11.

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

The coach will see rotation as necessary as he tries to manage players' workloads and challenge both at home and abroad, but he insisted the core group of players remains the same for crucial games.

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

"If you look at the five changes that we did compared to the previous game it may be a change but it is the same eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

"The players who played tonight are the individuals playing almost all the games."

What's Next for These Sides?

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

The Italian team, on the other hand, host Athletic Club at the identical kick-off time.