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At a Glance

• Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
• Atalanta the better side after the break and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
• Charles de Ketelaere scores a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
• The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the Champions League.
• The top eight progress automatically for the last 16.

The London club's ambitions of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were dealt a blow as Atalanta came from behind to triumph in their home stadium.

The two teams entered this game with the same records in the initial stage of this year's competition, having won, tied one, and suffered one defeat to be on ten points.

For much of the game there was not much to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea went ahead in the opening 45 minutes when the Brazilian converted Reece James' delivery.

But Atalanta always looked a danger going forward, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker creating problems for the defence.

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

Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but Atalanta got the decisive strike late on when the Chelsea defenders backed off the midfielder, who seized the opportunity with a low shot.

Chelsea attempted to rescue a draw late on but a brilliant stop by Marco Carnesecchi denied Pedro.

The outcome means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that progress automatically for the next round—to eleventh with two group stage fixtures left to play.

The Bergamo club, in contrast, climb up to third place, three points clear of the Blues.

Blues Breakdown - Worrying Run Persists

This was a extremely frustrating result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to secure the top eight position they need to avoid the uncertainty of the play-offs.

But they lost focus in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents capitalised completely.

The Italians are in fine fettle 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 taking the lead.

But the broader context is that this extends Chelsea's worrying sequence of form in all competitions.

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

Too Many Rotations Proving Costly?

Manager Enzo Enzo Maresca enacted five rotations for this game as he persisted with his strategy of rotating players in and out of the first team.

The changes 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.

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

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

"If you see the five alterations that we did relative to Bournemouth it is a change but it is the same eight or nine players who played in that match.

"The ones who took to the field this evening are the individuals who feature in almost all the matches."

What's Next for These Sides?

The Blues' next European game sees them welcome the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

The Italian team, on the other hand, host Athletic Bilbao at the same time.