Chelsea head coach, Enzo Maresca, has attributed his team’s 2-1 loss to Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League to tired legs and a drop in game control after conceding.
The Blues made a bright start to the contest, taking the lead through Joao Pedro, but the Italian side responded strongly to turn the game around and claim all three points.
Gianluca Scamacca headed home to restore parity for Atalanta, before Charles De Ketelaere struck in the 83rd minute to seal the victory for the Serie A outfit.
Speaking after the match, Maresca admitted his side struggled to maintain authority once the equaliser went in.
“After we conceded the first goal, we lost control a little bit of the game,” Maresca told TNT Sports.
“We are playing every two days, two days, two days. For a moment we looked like we struggled a bit.
“We were aggressive like them. We had different chances to make it 2-0 and when we conceded 1-1 the dynamic of the game changed a little bit.”
Following the defeat, Chelsea now sit on 10 points from six matches in the competition, leaving them two points adrift of eighth-placed Liverpool in the Champions League standings.
Attention now turns to domestic action as the Blues prepare to welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge this weekend in their next Premier League fixture.
