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Key Moments

• Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the break and equalise through the striker.
• The Belgian attacker nets a late decisive goal for the home side.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to 11th in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight qualify automatically for the knockout phase.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying 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 match with matching records in the league phase of this year's tournament, having won, drawn, and lost to be on ten points.

For extended periods there was not much to separate them in this contest too, although Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian finished the captain's cross.

But The Serie A side remained 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 equalised when former West Ham United striker headed in a centering pass.

The winger hammered a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but they secured the winner late on when the Blues defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who took full advantage with a driven shot.

The visitors tried to rescue a draw late on but a superb stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Joao Pedro.

The outcome means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the positions that progress automatically for the knockouts—to eleventh with two league phase games remaining.

Atalanta, meanwhile, leap up to third, three points ahead of the Blues.

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Form Persists

This was a deeply disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them in a strong position to secure the top eight position they need to avoid the lottery 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 good form at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging test for the Blues, but they will be frustrated to be departing with nothing after securing the lead.

But the bigger picture is that this extends Chelsea's troubling run of form 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.

Too Many Rotations Turning Out to Be Costly?

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

The rotations here followed after he made the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

Maresca will see rotation as vital as he attempts to handle players' fitness and compete both at domestically and in Europe, but he maintained the key nucleus of players remains the same for key fixtures.

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

"If you look at the five alterations that we made compared to Bournemouth it may be different but it is the same eight or nine players playing in that match.

"The players who took to the field this evening are the ones playing almost all the games."

What Next for These Sides?

Chelsea's next European game sees them host Pafos on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).

Atalanta, meanwhile, host Athletic Bilbao at the identical kick-off time.