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At a Glance

• The Chelsea forward hands Chelsea the lead in the first half.
• The Italian outfit the stronger side after the interval and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
• The Belgian attacker nets a last-gasp decisive goal for the hosts.
• Loss means Chelsea drop to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
• The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.

The London club's chances of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were dealt a blow as Atalanta fought back to triumph in their home stadium.

Both sides entered this match with matching points tallies in the initial stage of this season's tournament, having secured three victories, drawn, and lost to be on ten points.

For extended periods there was very little to distinguish them in this contest too, even though Chelsea took the lead in the first half when the Brazilian turned in the captain's delivery.

But The Serie A side always looked a threat going forward, with former Charlton and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman issues for the backline.

Reece James fired wide in the second half but Atalanta raised the pressure and rightfully levelled when former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.

Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they scored the winning goal late on when the Blues defence retreated from the midfielder, who took full advantage with a driven finish.

The visitors tried to salvage a point in stoppage time but a brilliant save by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Joao Pedro.

The final score means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the positions that progress automatically for the knockouts—to eleventh with two group stage games left to play.

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

Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Run Continues

This was a extremely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw 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 lost focus in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta capitalised completely.

The Italian side are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult test for the Blues, but they will be disappointed to be leaving with nothing after securing the early advantage.

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

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

Excessive Changes Turning Out to Be Costly?

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

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

The coach will see squad rotation as necessary as he tries to handle players' minutes and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he maintained the key nucleus of players stays the same for crucial fixtures.

"I believe tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, and Arsenal," he commented.

"If you see the five changes that we did compared to Bournemouth it may be a change but it involves the eight or nine players playing Barcelona.

"The players who played this evening are the individuals who feature in almost all the games."

What's Next for These Teams?

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

Atalanta, meanwhile, host Athletic Club at the same time.