Chelsea could have created more chances on the night but will care far more about the result, which gave them a first Champions League victory of the campaign.
The Blues just about deserved their three points, which came thanks to an early own goal scored by Richard Rios. The defender was backpedalling and could only slam into his own net from Alejandro Garnacho’s low cross.
Enzo Maresca’s side showed positive powers of survival as they defended well and held on to ensure victory was seen out, but a late sending off for substitute Joao Pedro represented yet another example of ill-discipline from a team who have now seen red in three of their last four games.
This felt an occasion when the result mattered more than the performance.
Chelsea played some good football at times but never anything scintillating, and the score-line reflected that as they ran out 1-0 winners courtesy of an own goal.
Garnacho was largely quiet, but it was a positive development early on in his Chelsea career that he registered his first goal involvement for the club by assisting that own goal.
But Chelsea were unable to add to that strike. Maresca turned to his coaching staff and roared in delight after the full-time whistle had sounded, a clear enough sign that he knew his side had claimed three points they might have ended without.
While they were the better team, Benfica had the lion’s share of possession in the final 15 minutes and were really pushing hard for that equaliser. The fact it never came gave Chelsea Champions League lift-off.
Highs and lows of Jose’s special night
It was difficult in the lead-up to read news about this game that didn’t have Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge front and centre.
The ‘special one’ was determined to make the most of his homecoming, and could be seen having a warm catch-up with Joe Cole, who he managed at Chelsea, and Cole’s former England team-mate Owen Hargreaves an hour and a half before kick-off, with the pair on punditry duty for one of the broadcasters.
The very second the match kicked off, Mourinho leapt from his seat in the dugout to the very edge of his technical area, puffed out his cheeks, and got set for 90 tense minutes of coaching against the club he has said he loves most.
Barely two minutes had been played when he tried to stop one of his players running the ball mistakenly out of play by standing on the touchline and stopping it rolling any further. When the fourth official stared him down, Mourinho just smiled mischievously.
Towards the end of the match, he appeared to be booked for an overzealous reaction to a free-kick going against his team — and then he ran onto the pitch to collect the ball when a second ball went bouncing into play, prompting a cheer from all round the ground.
Chelsea’s discipline crisis continued, just when it looked as though a major step in the right direction had been taken in that regard.
Joao Pedro came on after 61 minutes and managed to get himself sent off in that time, receiving a second yellow card deep into injury time.
It means he is suspended for their next Champions League game, a home match against Ajax next month, as he serves a one-match ban.
That comes after red cards to Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah against Manchester United and Brighton in the last two league games.
Maresca made a point this week of reminding reporters that four of Chelsea’s last five defeats have come when they have had ten men.
They were lucky this time that the red card came so late in the game. Fortunately, it didn’t cost them.
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