Atalanta came from behind to beat Chelsea 2–1 thanks to a late strike from Charles De Ketelaere. João Pedro put Chelsea ahead midway through the first half, but Gianluca Scamacca levelled early in the second after capitalising on a defensive mix-up.
The winner arrived in the eighty-third minute when Ketelaere’s shot deflected beyond Robert Sánchez following poor marking and a hesitant defensive line. Chelsea pushed late on through Alejandro Garnacho and Acheapong, but Marco Carnesecchi denied both to secure Atalanta’s victory.
Atalanta vs Chelsea was a match where Chelsea allowed Atalanta to dominate possession but looked to press and counter quickly. Atalanta controlled the ball, tried to dictate the tempo and consistently created chances.
When pressing high, Chelsea pushed João Pedro forward, with Pedro Neto and Gittens positioned wide as wingers. Reece James and Enzo Fernández stepped up behind them as central midfielders, with Caicedo dropping deeper as a defensive midfielder.
The defensive line stayed around halfway. Atalanta pushed both wide centre-backs out, with Éderson and de Roon positioned higher, ready to receive passes through the middle. Both wing-backs operated close to the centre-backs, while Lookman and De Ketelaere stayed high and wide near the halfway line, waiting for long balls and counter-attacks.
The centre-forward stayed between Chelsea’s centre-backs. Atalanta broke Chelsea’s press in the 5th minute when De Ketelaere switched play to Lookman on the opposite wing, but Lookman miscontrolled and the ball went out.
When pressing, Atalanta’s central midfielders pushed up near the forwards, creating a compact block of five, with one midfielder joining the front line. Adjusting to Chelsea’s attempts to play out, Atalanta sometimes stepped their centre-backs and wing-backs up to the halfway line, or kept them deeper. Chelsea tried to escape the press by pushing Badiashile wide as a left-back and Acheapong wide on the right, with Reece James dropping into the back line to help build up, supported closely by Caicedo.
Cucurella moved into midfield near the centre circle with Enzo Fernández opposite him, while Neto and Gittens held wide positions and João Pedro stayed highest. In the alternate shape, Chelsea dropped Acheapong back to form a back three. Reece James moved close to them to help combine out of pressure, with Caicedo nearby. Enzo and Cucurella pushed into midfield, and the attacking trio held their line near halfway.
Atalanta’s press worked, and after a combination play, Éderson found Lookman, who drove diagonally towards the byline and shot. Sánchez saved, the ball ran across De Ketelaere, who failed to control it cleanly, allowing Chelsea to clear. In the 19th minute, De Ketelaere played in Zappacosta, who replaced Bellanova after an injury.
The former Chelsea full-back reached the byline and fired a low cross into the box. After a deflection between Chalobah and Scamacca, the ball fell to Lookman, whose shot was saved by Sánchez. The rebound dropped to de Roon, who skied the follow-up.
When defending, Atalanta dropped their central centre-back deeper and pulled both wing-backs back into full-back roles. Both second attackers moved wide to act as side midfielders next to the central pair, with the centre-forward staying high. Chelsea held their defensive line near halfway, with Caicedo acting as a right-back, Chalobah and Acheapong as centre-backs, and Badiashile as a left-back.
Reece James positioned himself centrally just ahead, giving passing quality and numbers in midfield. Enzo Fernández played to his right and Cucurella to his left. Gittens and Neto stayed wide, with João Pedro central. In the 25th minute, Enzo Fernández found Reece James breaking towards the byline.
James reached the ball and crossed for João Pedro, who managed to get a touch and deceive the goalkeeper to give Chelsea a 1–0 lead. Atalanta’s offside trap failed completely, leaving both James and João Pedro unmarked inside the area. Pedro Neto then slipped Cucurella through, and he delivered a low cross, but Kolašinac reached it before Neto to clear.
When defending, Chelsea narrowed their back line, forming the deepest block, with a line of five ahead. Caicedo held the central defensive midfield role with Enzo Fernández and Reece James either side. Neto and Gittens stayed wide as side midfielders ready for counters, with João Pedro furthest forward.
Atalanta attacked in a similar shape to their pressing structure, the midfield compact and close to the front line, both wing-backs pushing high, and the defensive line positioned near halfway.
In the second half, in the 51st minute, Pedro Neto crossed for Enzo, who failed to control the ball twice. It fell to Gittens, who returned it to him, but again the touch got away and the ball reached Reece James. His first shot was blocked, and his second attempt went wide.
In the 55th minute, De Ketelaere drove down the right and crossed over Chelsea’s defence. Sánchez was poorly positioned, allowing Scamacca to reach it and head in the equaliser for Atalanta.
In the 59th minute, Pedro Neto dribbled past his marker into the box and cut the ball back for João Pedro, but Kossounou intercepted before it reached him.
Near the end, in the 83rd minute, Atalanta took a quick free-kick and De Ketelaere carried the ball forward. Cucurella and Badiashile gave him too much space, allowing him to enter the box and shoot powerfully. The ball deflected through Cucurella’s legs and deceived Sánchez, who got a hand on it but could not stop it. Atalanta completed the comeback.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the 90th minute, Garnacho cut inside and fired into the corner, but Carnesecchi saved. In the 93rd minute, Malo Gusto crossed to the far side for Acheapong, who headed back into the middle for João Pedro. He attempted a half-volley but didn’t catch it cleanly, and Carnesecchi saved easily.
The first half saw Atalanta dominate possession and chances, but Chelsea scored through a neat combination near the box and a major defensive lapse from Atalanta. In the second half, Chelsea threatened on counter-attacks and created good opportunities, but Carnesecchi made key saves and Chelsea lacked finishing quality.
Atalanta equalised thanks to a major Sánchez mistake, and late on, De Ketelaere capped his excellent performance with the winner after a deflection.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Israel Schmidt de Azevedo
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