Atalanta came into this fixture without a first-half goal in the competition, yet that run came very close to ending just six minutes in when Ademola Lookman weaved his way through the Chelsea defence and forced Robert Sanchez into a save at his near post, before Charles De Ketelaere failed to connect with the rebound.
Sánchez was helpless when the ball fell to Lookman inside the box approaching the midpoint in the first half, but an outstanding Josh Acheampong block denied the London-born forward.
La Dea were left ruing those missed chances with 25 minutes gone, as a low Reece James cross from the left was turned in by Joao Pedro. The linesman’s flag was raised immediately, but a VAR check concluded both players had stayed onside.
The goal completely changed the half, as the Blues controlled the tempo until the break, while Atalanta seldom looked like creating another chance.
However, once again, the Serie A side were a different beast after the break and continued their knack for second-half strikes. First, Lookman finally had the ball in the net eight minutes in, only for the officials to get an offside call correct this time.
But, just two minutes later, De Ketelaere delivered a delightful cross which was perfect for Gianluca Scamacca to head home and deny Chelsea just a second away UCL clean sheet in 11 matches. To worsen the visitors’ matters, the equaliser came minutes after James passed up the chance to make it 2-0 with a low drive that whistled just past the post.
Scamacca came close to turning the match on its head just after the hour mark as he diverted a free-kick goalwards, but this time Sánchez’s reactions were excellent. An Alejandro Garnacho effort straight at Marco Carnesecchi was the closest Enzo Maresca’s side came to retaking the lead, before the crucial third goal of the game went the hosts’ way.
De Ketelaere drove into the penalty area as Chelsea defenders backed off, and his strike deflected off both Marc Cucurella and Sanchez en route to the back of the net.
Carnesecchi stayed resolute to deny Garnacho and James late on, closing out just a third home win in eight for Atalanta, as Chelsea suffered a first UCL defeat since Matchday One.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta)
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