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Key Moments

• The Chelsea forward hands Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• Atalanta the stronger side after the break and equalise through the striker.
• Charles de Ketelaere nets a late winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the league phase of the Champions League.
• The leading eight teams progress automatically for the knockouts.

The London club's ambitions of securing a place automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were dealt a blow as their Italian opponents fought back to triumph in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this fixture with identical records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, tied one, and lost to have accrued 10 points.

For extended periods there was little to separate them in this encounter too, although Chelsea took the lead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian converted the captain's cross.

But The Serie A side always looked a danger going forward, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker creating issues for the defence.

Reece James fired wide in the after the break but Atalanta raised the intensity and justly equalised when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

The winger hammered a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta secured the decisive strike in the closing stages when the Chelsea defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who took full advantage with a driven finish.

The visitors attempted to rescue a draw in stoppage time but a superb stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Joao Pedro.

The outcome means Chelsea slip out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that qualify automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two league phase games left to play.

Atalanta, in contrast, leap up to third, three points clear of the Londoners.

Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Run Continues

This was a hugely frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to achieve the top-eight finish they require to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lacked concentration in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta capitalised completely.

The Italians are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a tough test for the Blues, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with nothing after taking the lead.

But the bigger picture is that this extends Chelsea's worrying streak of form in all competitions.

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

Excessive Rotations Proving Expensive?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca made five rotations for this game as he continued his strategy 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 United and six for the draw with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Bergamo.

The coach will view rotation as essential as he attempts to manage players' minutes and compete both at domestically and in Europe, but he maintained the key nucleus of players stays the same for crucial fixtures.

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

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

"The players who played this evening are the ones playing almost all the matches."

Up Next for These Sides?

The Blues' next European fixture sees them host the Cypriot side on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

Atalanta, on the other hand, are at home to Athletic Club at the identical kick-off time.