The Blues' Hopes Hit by Reverse at Atalanta
Match Summary
- Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
- Atalanta the better side after the break and draw level through Gianluca Scamacca.
- The Belgian attacker nets a late winner for the hosts.
- The defeat means Chelsea fall to 11th in the league phase of the tournament.
- The leading eight teams progress automatically for the knockout phase.
Chelsea's hopes of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as their Italian opponents came from behind to claim victory in their home stadium.
The two teams entered this fixture with identical points tallies in the league phase of this year's competition, having won, drawn, and lost to sit on ten points.
For much of the game there was little to choose between them in this contest too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro turned in Reece James' cross.
But Atalanta remained a danger going forward, with former Charlton and Everton attacker creating problems for the defence.
James fired wide in the after the break but the home team raised the pressure and rightfully levelled when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.
The winger drove a powerful shot straight at the keeper but Atalanta secured the winning goal in the closing stages when the Chelsea defence retreated from Charles de Ketelaere, who seized the opportunity with a driven finish.
The visitors attempted to salvage a draw late on but a brilliant save by the Atalanta goalkeeper denied Pedro.
The final score means Chelsea slip out of the top eight—the positions that qualify automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage fixtures remaining.
Atalanta, in contrast, leap up to third, three points ahead of the Blues.
Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Form Persists
This was a hugely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a draw was keeping them in a strong position to secure the top-eight finish they require to avoid the lottery of the play-offs.
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 challenging test for the visitors, but they will be disappointed to be leaving with nothing after securing the lead.
But the bigger picture is that this perpetuates Chelsea's worrying streak of results in all tournaments.
Since beating Barcelona 3-0 at the end of November they are now without a win in their last four games.
Excessive Rotations Turning Out to Be Costly?
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca enacted five changes for this match as he persisted with his policy of moving players in and out of the starting 11.
The rotations here followed after he implemented the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds and six for the tie with Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.
Maresca will see rotation as necessary as he attempts to manage players' fitness and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he maintained the key nucleus of players stays the unchanged for key fixtures.
"I believe tonight [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, and the Gunners," he stated.
"If you look at the five changes that we made relative to Bournemouth it may be a change but it involves the eight or nine players who played in that match.
"The ones who took to the field this evening are the ones who feature in almost all the matches."
What Next for These Teams?
Chelsea's next European game sees them welcome the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (20:00 GMT).
Atalanta, meanwhile, are at home to Athletic Bilbao at the same time.
