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At a Glance

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the opening period.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker scores a last-gasp decisive goal for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea fall to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
• The top eight progress automatically for the knockouts.

The London club's chances of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as Atalanta came from behind to claim victory in their home stadium.

Each club went into this fixture with the same points tallies in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, tied one, and suffered one defeat to be on 10 points.

For much of the game there was very little to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea took the lead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian converted Reece James' delivery.

But Atalanta always looked a threat going forwards, with former Charlton and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the backline.

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

The winger drove a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but they scored the winner in the closing stages when the Chelsea defenders backed off the midfielder, who took full advantage with a low shot.

The visitors tried to rescue a point in stoppage time but a superb save by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea fall out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that progress automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two group stage fixtures left to play.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, leap up to third, three points ahead of the Blues.

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Run Continues

This was a hugely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to achieve the top-eight finish they need to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents seized the moment.

The Italian side are in fine fettle at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the visitors, but they will be disappointed to be leaving with nothing after taking the early advantage.

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

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

Too Many Changes Turning Out to Be Costly?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this game as he continued his strategy of rotating players in and out of the starting 11.

The rotations 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 trip to Atalanta.

Maresca will view rotation as vital as he tries to manage players' workloads and compete both at domestically and in Europe, but he maintained the key nucleus of players remains the unchanged for important games.

"I think tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham, Barcelona, and the Gunners," he stated.

"If you see the five changes that we did relative to Bournemouth it is different but it involves the eight or nine players who played Barcelona.

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

Up Next for These Clubs?

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

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