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Match Summary

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the interval and equalise through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker nets a last-gasp decisive goal for the home side.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta fought back to claim victory in Bergamo.

Each club entered this match with matching points tallies in the league phase of this season's tournament, having secured three victories, drawn, and lost to sit on ten points.

For large parts there was not much to distinguish them in this encounter too, even though Chelsea took the lead in the first half when the Brazilian turned in the captain's cross.

But Atalanta always looked a danger going forward, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman issues for the defence.

James fired wide in the after the break but Atalanta upped the pressure and justly drew level when former West Ham United striker nodded home a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they scored the winner late on when the Blues defenders backed off the midfielder, who took full advantage with a powerful strike.

Chelsea tried to salvage a draw late on but a excellent save by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Pedro.

The result means Chelsea slip out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that qualify automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two group stage matches left to play.

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

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Sequence Persists

This was a hugely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was keeping them well placed to achieve the top-eight position they require to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they let their concentration slip 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 challenging examination for the Blues, but they will be annoyed to be leaving with no points after taking the lead.

But the broader context is that this extends Chelsea's worrying sequence of results in all competitions.

Since defeating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the close of November they are now without a win in their last four matches.

Excessive Rotations Proving Expensive?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this game as he continued his policy of rotating players in and out of the first team.

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

Maresca will view squad rotation as vital as he attempts to manage players' minutes and compete both at home and abroad, but he insisted the core group of players stays the same for key fixtures.

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

"If you look at the five changes that we did relative to Bournemouth it is different but it involves the same eight or nine players who played in that match.

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

Up Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European game sees them welcome Pafos on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

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