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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• Atalanta the better side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker nets a late winner for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were dealt a blow as their Italian opponents fought back to win in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this match with identical points tallies in the league phase of this season's competition, having secured three victories, drawn, and lost to be on 10 points.

For much of the game there was not much to distinguish them in this contest too, although Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian converted Reece James' delivery.

But The Serie A side always looked a danger going forwards, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker causing problems for the defence.

James shot wide in the second half but the home team upped the pressure and justly drew level when ex-West Ham striker nodded home a cross.

The winger drove a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta scored the winner late on when the Blues defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a driven shot.

The visitors attempted to rescue a point in stoppage time but a excellent save by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Joao Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea fall out of the top eight—the positions that qualify automatically for the knockouts—to eleventh with two league phase games left to play.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, jump up to third, three points clear of the Londoners.

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Sequence Persists

This was a extremely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to achieve the top-eight finish they need to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lacked concentration in their defensive duties with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta seized the moment.

The Italians are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult examination for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be departing with nothing after securing the lead.

But the wider issue is that this extends Chelsea's concerning streak of results in all competitions.

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

Too Many Changes Proving Costly?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five alterations for this game as he continued his policy of moving players in and out of the starting lineup.

The changes here came after he implemented the same number for the defeat to Leeds and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the trip to Bergamo.

The coach will see rotation as necessary as he tries to manage players' minutes and challenge both at home and abroad, but he maintained the core group of players stays the unchanged for crucial games.

"I think in this match [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, and Arsenal," he stated.

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

"The ones who played tonight are the individuals who feature in almost all the matches."

What Next for These Clubs?

The Blues' next Champions League fixture sees them welcome Pafos on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

The Italian team, on the other hand, host Athletic Club at the same time.