Chelsea's Hopes Dealt a Blow by Defeat at Bergamo
Match Summary
- Joao Pedro gives Chelsea the advantage in the first half.
- The Italian outfit the better side after the break and draw level through the striker.
- The Belgian attacker scores a last-gasp winner for the hosts.
- Loss means Chelsea fall to 11th in the group stage of the Champions League.
- The leading eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16.
Chelsea's ambitions of securing a place automatically for the Champions League knockouts were dealt a blow as Atalanta came from behind to win in Bergamo.
The two teams went into this match with matching records in the league phase of this year's tournament, having secured three victories, tied one, and lost to be on 10 points.
For extended periods there was little to choose between them in this encounter too, although Chelsea got their noses in front in the first half when Joao Pedro turned in the captain's delivery.
But The Serie A side always looked a danger going forwards, with ex- Charlton and Everton attacker causing issues for the backline.
Reece James shot wide in the after the break but Atalanta increased the pressure and rightfully equalised when ex-West Ham striker nodded home a centering pass.
Alejandro Garnacho hammered a powerful shot straight at the keeper but Atalanta scored the decisive strike late on when the Chelsea defence retreated from the midfielder, who took full advantage with a driven shot.
The visitors attempted to rescue a point late on but a brilliant save by Marco Carnesecchi kept out Pedro.
The outcome means Chelsea drop out of the top eight—the spots that progress automatically for the knockouts—to 11th with two league phase matches remaining.
The Bergamo club, meanwhile, leap up to third place, three points ahead of the Londoners.
Chelsea Analysis - Concerning Form Continues
This was a extremely 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 uncertainty of the play-offs.
But they lost focus in their defensive duties with seven minutes left on the clock and their opponents capitalised completely.
The Italians are in good form at the moment so this was always going to be a challenging test for the visitors, but they will be frustrated to be departing with nothing after securing the early advantage.
But the wider issue is that this perpetuates Chelsea's troubling run of form in all tournaments.
Since defeating Barcelona 3-0 at the end of November they are now winless in their last four games.
Excessive Changes Proving Costly?
Manager Enzo Maresca made five alterations for this game as he continued his policy of moving players in and out of the first team.
The changes here followed after he made the same number for the defeat to Leeds United and six for the draw with Bournemouth prior to the journey to Bergamo.
The coach will view rotation as necessary as he tries to handle players' fitness and compete both at home and abroad, but he stated the core group of players stays the same for crucial fixtures.
"I believe tonight [in] the starting lineup we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham, Barcelona, and the Gunners," he said.
"If you see the five changes that we did compared to the previous game it may be a change but it is the same eight or nine players who played in that match.
"The ones who took to the field this evening are the individuals playing almost all the matches."
What Next for These Clubs?
Chelsea's next Champions League game sees them welcome the Cypriot side on Wednesday, 21 January (8pm GMT).
Atalanta, meanwhile, host Athletic Club at the same time.
