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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere grabs a last-gasp winner for the home side.
• The defeat means Chelsea slide to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16.

The London club's hopes of securing a place automatically for the European Cup knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta came from behind to claim victory in Bergamo.

The two teams went into this game with identical records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having secured three victories, drawn, and suffered one defeat to be on 10 points.

For extended periods there was little to choose between them in this contest too, even though Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro converted the captain's delivery.

But The Serie A side always looked a threat going forward, with ex- Premier League attacker Ademola Lookman issues for the backline.

Reece James fired wide in the after the break but the home team increased the intensity and rightfully levelled when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they got the decisive strike in the closing stages when the Chelsea defenders retreated from the midfielder, who made no mistake with a powerful finish.

Chelsea attempted to rescue a point late on but a superb stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea fall out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage games left to play.

Atalanta, meanwhile, jump up to third, three points clear of the Blues.

Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Sequence Persists

This was a hugely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to achieve 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 took full advantage.

The Italians are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult examination for the Blues, but they will be annoyed to be departing with no points after taking the early advantage.

But the wider issue is that this continues Chelsea's worrying streak of form in all tournaments.

Since beating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the end of November they are now without a win in their last four outings.

Too Many Changes Turning Out to Be Costly?

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

The changes here came after he implemented the identical amount for the loss to Leeds United and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

The coach will see squad rotation as essential as he tries to handle players' workloads and challenge both at domestically and abroad, but he insisted the central contingent of players stays the same for key fixtures.

"I think in this match [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham, Barcelona, and Arsenal," he commented.

"If you look at the five alterations that we made relative to Bournemouth it may be a change but it is the eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

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

Up Next for These Clubs?

Chelsea's next European fixture sees them welcome Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).

Atalanta, on the other hand, host Athletic Club at the identical kick-off time.