The Blues' Hopes Hit by Loss at Bergamo
Key Moments
- Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
- The Italian outfit the better side after the interval and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
- The Belgian attacker grabs a late decisive goal for the home side.
- The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the Champions League.
- The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.
The London club's hopes of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta came from behind to win in their home stadium.
Each club entered this fixture with the same points tallies in the league phase of this year's competition, having won, drawn, and lost to be on ten points.
For large parts there was very little to distinguish them in this encounter too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when Joao Pedro converted the captain's delivery.
But Atalanta always looked a danger going forward, with former Premier League attacker Ademola Lookman issues for the defence.
Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta increased the intensity and justly drew level when ex-West Ham striker headed in a centering pass.
Alejandro Garnacho drove a powerful shot straight at the keeper but Atalanta secured the decisive strike in the closing stages when the Blues defenders backed off the midfielder, who seized the opportunity with a driven strike.
The visitors attempted to rescue a point late on but a superb stop by Marco Carnesecchi denied Joao Pedro.
The final score means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the spots that progress automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two group stage matches remaining.
The Bergamo club, in contrast, jump up to third place, three points clear of the Londoners.
Blues Breakdown - Concerning Run Continues
This was a hugely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to secure the top-eight finish they need to bypass the uncertainty of the qualifying play-off round.
But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta took full advantage.
The Italian side are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a difficult examination for the Blues, but they will be frustrated to be leaving with no points after securing the lead.
But the wider issue is that this perpetuates Chelsea's troubling run of results in all competitions.
Since beating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the end of November they are now winless in their last four games.
Excessive Rotations Proving Costly?
Manager Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this game as he continued his strategy of moving players in and out of the first team.
The rotations here followed after he implemented the same number for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.
The coach will view squad 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 crucial fixtures.
"I think in this match [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham, Barcelona, and the Gunners," he stated.
"If you see the five changes that we did compared to the previous game it may be different but it is the same eight or nine players who played in that match.
"The players who took to the field tonight are the ones playing almost all the matches."
What Next for These Teams?
The Blues' next Champions League fixture sees them welcome Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (20:00 GMT).
The Italian team, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Club at the same time.
