Chelsea could have created more opportunities in the night, but will give much more to the result, which gave them a first Champions League victory of the campaign.
The blues earned just about their three points, which came thanks to an early own goal scored by Richard Rios. The defender was backwards and could only beat the low cross of Alejandro Garnacho in his own net.
The side of Enzo Maresca showed positive survival power while they defended and held up to ensure that the victory was seen, but a late broadcast for replacement Joao Pedro represented another example of poor discipline of a team that has now seen red in three of their last four games.
This felt an opportunity that the result mattered more than the implementation.
Chelsea sometimes played good football, but never anything sparkling, and the Scorelijn reflected that when they drove 1-0 winners with thanks to their own goal.
Garnacho was largely quiet, but it was a positive development early in his Chelsea career that he registered his first target involvement for the club by helping that own goal.
But Chelsea could not add that strike. Maresca turned to his coaching staff and roared with delight after the full -time whistle had sounded, a clear sign that he knew his side had claimed three points where they might have ended.
Although they were the better team, Benfica had the lion’s share of possession in the last 15 minutes and they really pushed hard for that equalizer. The fact that it never came, gave Chelsea Champions League-Lift-off.
Heights and lows of Jose’s special evening
It was difficult in the run -up to read news about this game with the return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge Front and Center.
The ‘Special One’ was determined to get the most out of his return home, and could be seen with a warm catch -up with Joe Cole, whom he managed in Chelsea, and Cole’s former English teammate Owen Hargreaves an hour and a half before the kick -off, with the pair of the broad casters.
The first time the game started, Mourinho jumped out of his chair in the Dugout to the edge of his technical room, puffed his cheeks and was ready for 90 tense minutes coaching against the club that he said he is the most.
Barely two minutes were played when he tried to prevent one of his players from ran the ball wrongly out of the game by standing on the touchline and preventing it from rolling further. When the fourth official stared down, Mourinho just smiled naughty.
Towards the end of the game, he seemed to be booked for an over-style reaction to a free kick that went against his team and then he ran on the field to gather the ball when a second ball bounced into the game, which led a cheers from everywhere around the ground.
Chelsea’s discipline crisis went on, just when it seemed as if an important step in the right direction had been taken in that respect.
Joao Pedro came up after 61 minutes and managed to be sent at that time and received a second yellow card deep in the injury.
It means that he was suspended for their next Champions League match, a home match against Ajax next month, because he serves a ban from one match.
That is after red cards to Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah against Manchester United and Brighton in the last two league matches.
This week Maresca made a point to remind reporters that four of the last five defeats of Chelsea came when they had ten men.
This time they were lucky that the red card came in so late. Fortunately it didn’t cost them.
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