Chelsea suffers setback in Champions League ambitions
Chelsea’s Champions League aspirations suffered a significant setback on Tuesday evening as Enzo Maresca’s side fell to a 2-1 defeat against Atalanta in Bergamo, reports BritPanorama.
The Blues arrived in Italy having failed to win in their previous three fixtures, with their last victory coming in the impressive triumph over Barcelona a fortnight ago. This barren run has now extended to four matches without success.
The loss sees Chelsea slip from the automatic qualification places down to 11th in the league phase standings, leaving their hopes of securing a top-eight finish hanging by a thread. Atalanta, meanwhile, surged up to third position with 13 points, three clear of the London club.
Joao Pedro opened the scoring for the visitors on 25 minutes, latching onto a precise low delivery from captain Reece James and guiding the ball through goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi’s legs at the near post. The strike was initially chalked off for offside against James, but a lengthy VAR examination determined the England defender had timed his run perfectly. It marked Pedro’s maiden goal in the Champions League.
Chelsea had taken the lead against the run of play, with Atalanta enjoying the better of the opening exchanges. Ademola Lookman proved particularly troublesome for the visitors, with young defender Josh Acheampong producing a crucial block to deny the former Everton forward from close range.
The second period told a different story entirely, with the Serie A side returning from the interval with renewed purpose. Chelsea squandered an opportunity to extend their advantage early on, as James fired wide from a promising position inside the area. Lookman thought he had drawn Atalanta level shortly after, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations.
The equaliser arrived on 55 minutes when De Ketelaere worked space down the right flank, delivering an inviting cross that Scamacca, left inexplicably unmarked in the six-yard box, nodded past Robert Sanchez. With seven minutes remaining, De Ketelaere completed the turnaround, driving past Marc Cucurella and unleashing a fierce strike that Sanchez could only parry into the roof of the net.
Chelsea’s path to automatic qualification now appears fraught with difficulty, with the Blues almost certainly requiring victories in both of their remaining league phase fixtures. One of those encounters sees them travel to face Antonio Conte’s Napoli in January, a daunting prospect against the Serie A champions.
The defeat marks the first time since 2014 that Chelsea has lost a Champions League match having opened the scoring. Pedro had a golden opportunity to salvage a point with virtually the final kick of the contest, but Carnesecchi produced a superb save to preserve Atalanta’s advantage. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho also tested the Italian goalkeeper, while James blazed over during stoppage time as Chelsea’s late surge proved fruitless.
As it stands, the case for Chelsea is a tough one; the road ahead is laden with challenges and a stark reminder of how swiftly fortunes can shift in football.
