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Match Summary

• The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the interval and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere nets a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea drop to 11th in the group stage of the tournament.
• The top eight progress automatically for the last 16.

Chelsea's ambitions of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta overturned a deficit to triumph in Bergamo.

Both sides entered this fixture with identical records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having secured three victories, drawn, and lost to be on ten points.

For extended periods there was not much to choose between them in this encounter too, although Chelsea went ahead in the first half when the Brazilian turned in the captain's cross.

But The Serie A side always looked a threat going on the attack, with ex- Premier League attacker creating issues for the backline.

James shot wide in the second half but the home team upped the intensity and rightfully equalised when ex-West Ham striker nodded home a centering pass.

The winger drove a strong effort straight at the goalkeeper but they scored the decisive strike in the closing stages when the Chelsea defence retreated from the midfielder, who seized the opportunity with a powerful strike.

The visitors tried to salvage a point late on but a excellent save by Marco Carnesecchi denied Joao Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that qualify automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage games remaining.

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

Blues Breakdown - Concerning Form Persists

This was a deeply frustrating outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to achieve the top eight finish they need to bypass 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 took full advantage.

The Italian side are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult examination for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with no points after securing the lead.

But the bigger picture is that this continues Chelsea's worrying streak of results in all tournaments.

Since defeating Barcelona 3-0 at the close of November they are now without a win in their last four matches.

Excessive Rotations Turning Out to Be Expensive?

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

The changes here came after he made the same number for the loss to Leeds and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.

Maresca will view squad rotation as vital as he attempts to handle players' fitness and compete both at domestically and in Europe, but he maintained the core group of players stays the unchanged for important games.

"I think in this match [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 relative to the previous game it may be a change but it involves the eight or nine players who played in that match.

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

Up Next for These Sides?

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

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