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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• Atalanta the better side after the interval and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere scores a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockout phase.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were suffered a setback as their Italian opponents fought back to triumph in Bergamo.

Both sides went into this fixture with matching records in the league phase of this year's competition, having secured three victories, tied one, and suffered one defeat to have accrued 10 points.

For large parts there was little to separate them in this encounter too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian turned in the captain's cross.

But Atalanta remained a threat going forward, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker causing issues for the backline.

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta upped the pressure and justly drew level when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta secured the winner late on when the Blues defence backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a driven shot.

Chelsea tried to salvage a point in stoppage time but a brilliant stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Joao Pedro.

The result means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two group stage fixtures remaining.

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

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Sequence Persists

This was a deeply disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was keeping them well placed to achieve the top eight finish they need 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 seized the moment.

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

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

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

Excessive Rotations Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made five rotations for this match as he persisted with his run of rotating players in and out of the starting 11.

The changes here came after he made the identical amount for the loss to Leeds and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the trip to Bergamo.

The coach will view rotation as essential as he tries to handle players' minutes and compete both at home and in Europe, but he insisted the central contingent of players remains the same for crucial games.

"I think tonight [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, and Arsenal," he stated.

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

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

What's Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European fixture sees them welcome Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

The Italian team, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Club at the identical kick-off time.