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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and draw level through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker grabs a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea slide to eleventh place in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were suffered a setback as their Italian opponents came from behind to win in their home stadium.

Both sides went into this match with matching records in the initial stage of this year's tournament, having won, tied one, and lost to sit on ten points.

For large parts there was little to distinguish them in this contest too, even though Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian turned in the captain's delivery.

But Atalanta consistently appeared a danger going on the attack, with ex- Premier League attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the defence.

Reece James shot wide in the second half but the home team upped the intensity and justly drew level when former West Ham United striker nodded home a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they got the winning goal late on when the Blues defence backed off Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a powerful strike.

Chelsea tried to rescue a draw late on but a excellent save by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the positions that qualify automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two league phase matches remaining.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Sequence Continues

This was a extremely frustrating result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to achieve the top eight finish they require to avoid the uncertainty of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lacked concentration in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents capitalised completely.

The Italians are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be departing with no points after taking the lead.

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

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 Expensive?

Chelsea boss Maresca enacted five changes for this match as he continued his run of rotating players in and out of the starting lineup.

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

Maresca will view rotation as necessary as he tries to manage players' minutes and challenge both at domestically and in Europe, but he insisted the key nucleus of players remains the unchanged for important fixtures.

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

"If you look at the five changes that we made compared to Bournemouth it may be a change but it is the same eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

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

What Next for These Clubs?

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

The Italian team, on the other hand, are at home to Athletic Bilbao at the identical kick-off time.