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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• 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.
• The defeat means Chelsea slide to 11th in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockouts.

Chelsea's chances of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as Atalanta came from behind to win in their home stadium.

Each club entered this match with identical records in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having won, drawn, and suffered one defeat to sit on 10 points.

For much of the game there was not much to choose between them in this encounter too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when Joao Pedro finished the captain's cross.

But The Serie A side consistently appeared a danger going forward, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the backline.

Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta raised the pressure and deservedly levelled when former West Ham United striker headed in a cross.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they secured the winner in the closing stages when the Blues defenders retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a low shot.

The visitors tried to salvage a draw in stoppage time but a excellent save by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea slip out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that progress automatically for the knockouts—to eleventh with two league phase games left to play.

Atalanta, in contrast, jump up to third, three points ahead of the Londoners.

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Form Persists

This was a extremely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was keeping them well placed to achieve the top eight position they need to avoid the lottery of the qualifying play-off round.

But they lost focus in defence with seven minutes remaining and Atalanta took full advantage.

The Italian side are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging examination for the visitors, but they will be disappointed to be leaving with nothing after taking the lead.

But the wider issue is that this perpetuates Chelsea's concerning streak of form in all competitions.

Since beating Barcelona 3-0 at the end of November they are now winless in their last four outings.

Excessive Rotations Turning Out to Be Expensive?

Chelsea boss Maresca made five rotations for this match as he persisted with his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.

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

The coach will see rotation as necessary as he attempts to handle players' minutes and challenge both at domestically and in Europe, but he insisted the core group of players remains the same for important fixtures.

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

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

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

What Next for These Teams?

Chelsea's next Champions League fixture sees them host Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).

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