The Blues' Hopes Hit by Loss at Bergamo
Match Summary
- Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the opening period.
- The Italian outfit the better side after the break and equalise through Gianluca Scamacca.
- Charles de Ketelaere scores a late decisive goal for the home side.
- Loss means Chelsea slide to 11th in the league phase of the Champions League.
- The top eight qualify automatically for the knockouts.
The London club's hopes of qualifying automatically for the European Cup knockout stages were hit hard as Atalanta overturned a deficit to win in their home stadium.
The two teams entered this match with identical records in the league phase of this year's competition, having won, tied one, and suffered one defeat to be on ten points.
For large parts there was not much to separate them in this encounter too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when Joao Pedro finished Reece James' cross.
But The Serie A side always looked a danger going forwards, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker causing problems for the backline.
Reece James fired wide in the after the break but the home team increased the pressure and deservedly drew level when ex-West Ham striker headed in a cross.
Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but they secured the decisive strike late on when the Chelsea defenders backed off the midfielder, who took full advantage with a powerful strike.
The visitors attempted to salvage a point late on but a excellent stop by Marco Carnesecchi denied Joao Pedro.
The result means Chelsea drop out of the automatic qualification places—the spots that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two league phase matches left to play.
The Bergamo club, in contrast, jump up to third place, three points clear of the Blues.
Blues Breakdown - Worrying Form Persists
This was a hugely disappointing result for Chelsea as even a draw was leaving them well placed to secure the top eight finish they require to bypass the uncertainty of the play-offs.
But they let their concentration slip in defence with seven minutes remaining and their opponents seized the moment.
The Italians are in rich vein of form at the moment so this was always going to be a tough test for the visitors, but they will be annoyed to be departing with nothing after securing the lead.
But the broader context is that this perpetuates Chelsea's concerning sequence of form in all tournaments.
Since beating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the close of November they are now without a win in their last four games.
Too Many Rotations Proving Costly?
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made five alterations for this game as he persisted with his run of moving players in and out of the starting lineup.
The changes here came after he implemented the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds 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' fitness and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he stated the central contingent of players remains the same for crucial games.
"I think in this match [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who featured against Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, and Arsenal," he stated.
"If you look at the five changes that we made relative to Bournemouth it may be different but it is the same eight or nine players playing Barcelona.
"The ones who took to the field this evening are the ones playing almost all the games."
What's Next for These Sides?
Chelsea's next European game sees them host the Cypriot side on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).
The Italian team, meanwhile, host Athletic Bilbao at the identical kick-off time.