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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• Atalanta the better side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker scores a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the league phase of the tournament.
• The leading eight teams progress automatically for the knockout phase.

The London club's ambitions of securing a place automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were suffered a setback as Atalanta fought back to claim victory in Bergamo.

The two teams went into this fixture with matching records in the initial stage of this season's competition, having secured three victories, tied one, and lost to be on 10 points.

For large parts there was little to choose between them in this encounter too, although Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro converted Reece James' delivery.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a threat going forward, with former Charlton and Everton attacker creating problems for the defence.

James fired wide in the after the break but the home team increased the pressure and justly equalised when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a cross.

The winger drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but they scored the winner late on when the Blues defenders retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who made no mistake with a driven shot.

The visitors attempted to rescue a draw late on but a superb save by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Joao Pedro.

The result means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the positions that qualify automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage fixtures left to play.

The Bergamo club, meanwhile, climb up to third place, three points clear of the Blues.

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Run Continues

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 qualifying play-off round.

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

The Italians are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a tough test for the Blues, but they will be disappointed to be departing with no points after securing the early advantage.

But the bigger picture is that this continues 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 games.

Too Many Changes Turning Out to Be Costly?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this match as he persisted with his policy of rotating players in and out of the starting 11.

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

The coach will see rotation as essential as he tries to manage players' minutes and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he stated the core group of players stays the same for crucial games.

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

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

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

What's Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European game sees them host the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

Atalanta, on the other hand, are at home to Athletic Club at the same time.