Chelsea suffered a costly 2–1 defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League, with a late goal from Charles De Ketelaere sending Enzo Maresca’s team out of the top eight. The result leaves Chelsea in 11th place and puts their hopes of an automatic round-of-16 spot under pressure.
Atalanta entered the game with one of the strongest home records in Europe this season. Chelsea, on the other hand, arrived in Italy still searching for their first away win in the competition. Both teams needed the points, and the match delivered plenty of drama.
Atalanta started well. Ademola Lookman almost scored early, but Josh Acheampong made a brilliant block on his first Champions League start. Chelsea responded and took the lead in the 25th minute. Reece James fired in a powerful low cross, and Joao Pedro finished calmly. The assistant referee raised the offside flag, but VAR overturned the decision and awarded the goal after confirming both players were onside.
Chelsea had a huge chance to double their lead before half-time, but James missed from close range. Atalanta made them pay shortly after the break. De Ketelaere delivered a perfect cross, and Gianluca Scamacca headed the ball past Robert Sanchez to level the match.
Atalanta pushed harder as the game went on. Their pressure finally produced the winner in the closing minutes. De Ketelaere cut inside and shot, and the ball deflected off Marc Cucurella. The deflection wrong-footed Sanchez, and the shot slipped past his hand. It was De Ketelaere’s second straight match with two goal involvements, highlighting his excellent form.
Chelsea created late chances through Alejandro Garnacho, James, and Joao Pedro. None of them found the net. The defeat leaves Chelsea two points outside the automatic qualification spots and extends their winless run in all competitions to four games.
