The Blues' Qualification Hopes Dealt a Blow by Loss at Atalanta
Match Summary
- Joao Pedro hands Chelsea the lead in the first half.
- Atalanta the stronger side after the break and draw level through the striker.
- The Belgian attacker scores a last-gasp decisive goal for the home side.
- Loss means Chelsea drop to eleventh place in the group stage of the Champions League.
- The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.
Chelsea's hopes of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockouts were hit hard as their Italian opponents fought back to triumph in Bergamo.
The two teams went into this match with identical records in the initial stage of this season's competition, having won, tied one, and lost to sit on 10 points.
For extended periods there was little to separate them in this contest too, even though Chelsea got their noses in front in the opening 45 minutes when Joao Pedro converted Reece James' delivery.
But The Serie A side consistently appeared a danger going on the attack, with ex- Premier League attacker Ademola Lookman problems for the defence.
Reece James fired wide in the second half but Atalanta increased the intensity and rightfully levelled when ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca a centering pass.
The winger drove a powerful shot straight at the goalkeeper but they got the winner in the closing stages when the Blues defenders retreated from the midfielder, who took full advantage with a driven finish.
Chelsea attempted to rescue a point in stoppage time but a brilliant stop by the Atalanta goalkeeper kept out Pedro.
The final score means Chelsea slip out of the top eight—the positions that progress automatically for the next round—to 11th with two group stage fixtures left to play.
The Bergamo club, in contrast, climb up to third place, three points clear of the Londoners.
Blues Breakdown - Concerning Form Persists
This was a hugely disappointing outcome for Chelsea as even a point was leaving them well placed to achieve the top-eight finish they need to avoid the lottery of the qualifying play-off round.
But they let their concentration slip in defence with seven minutes remaining and their opponents took full advantage.
The Italian side are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging examination for the Blues, but they will be disappointed to be departing with nothing after securing the early advantage.
But the broader context is that this continues Chelsea's concerning sequence of form in all tournaments.
Since beating the Spanish giants 3-0 at the close of November they are now winless in their last four games.
Too Many Rotations Turning Out to Be Costly?
Chelsea boss Maresca enacted five rotations for this game as he persisted with his strategy of moving players in and out of the starting lineup.
The changes here followed after he implemented the identical amount for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the tie with AFC Bournemouth prior to the trip to Atalanta.
Maresca will see squad rotation as vital as he attempts to manage players' workloads and challenge both at home and in Europe, but he maintained the key nucleus of players stays the same for key games.
"I believe tonight [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, and Arsenal," he commented.
"If you see the five changes that we did relative to the previous game it may be different but it is the same eight or nine players who played Barcelona.
"The ones who took to the field tonight are the ones who feature in almost all the matches."
Up Next for These Sides?
The Blues' next European fixture sees them host Pafos on the coming Wednesday (8pm GMT).
Atalanta, on the other hand, are at home to Athletic Club at the same time.
