The Blues' Hopes Dealt a Blow by Loss at Bergamo
Key Moments
- The Chelsea forward gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
- The Italian outfit the stronger side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
- The Belgian attacker grabs a late winner for the home side.
- The defeat means Chelsea slide to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
- The leading eight teams progress automatically for the knockouts.
Chelsea's chances of qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockout stages were hit hard as their Italian opponents overturned a deficit to claim victory in their home stadium.
The two teams entered this fixture with matching points tallies in the league phase of this season's tournament, having secured three victories, tied one, and suffered one defeat to sit on 10 points.
For extended periods there was little to separate them in this encounter too, although Chelsea went ahead in the first half when the Brazilian finished Reece James' cross.
But The Serie A side consistently appeared a danger going forwards, with ex- Premier League attacker creating issues for the defence.
Reece James shot wide in the after the break but the home team increased the intensity and justly levelled when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.
Alejandro Garnacho drove a strong effort straight at the keeper but Atalanta got the decisive strike late on when the Chelsea defenders retreated from the midfielder, who took full advantage with a driven strike.
The visitors attempted to salvage a draw in stoppage time but a brilliant stop by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Pedro.
The outcome means Chelsea fall out of the automatic qualification places—the positions that qualify automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two league phase matches remaining.
The Bergamo club, meanwhile, leap up to third, three points ahead of the Blues.
Chelsea Analysis - Worrying Run Continues
This was a hugely frustrating result for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them in a strong position to achieve the top-eight position they need to bypass the lottery of the play-offs.
But they let their concentration slip in defence with seven minutes left on the clock and Atalanta 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 frustrated to be departing with no points after securing the lead.
But the broader context is that this perpetuates Chelsea's troubling streak of form in all competitions.
Since defeating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the close of November they are now winless in their last four games.
Too Many Changes Proving Expensive?
Manager Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this game as he persisted with his strategy of rotating players in and out of the starting lineup.
The changes here followed after he made the same number for the loss to Leeds United and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the journey to Atalanta.
Maresca will see rotation as essential as he tries to manage players' fitness and challenge both at home and abroad, but he maintained the core group of players stays the unchanged for crucial games.
"I think tonight [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, and the Gunners," he stated.
"If you look at the five alterations that we did compared to Bournemouth it is different but it involves the same eight or nine players who played in that match.
"The players who played this evening are the ones playing almost all the matches."
What Next for These Clubs?
Chelsea's next Champions League fixture sees them welcome Pafos on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).
Atalanta, on the other hand, host Athletic Club at the same time.
