Christopher Nkunku's 86th minute winner earned Chelsea their second win of the season at the Vitality Stadium, as Bournemouth failed to capitalize on their goalscoring chances.
Marcus Tavernier had an early effort rattle off the crossbar, while Evanilson missed several big oppurtunities, including a penalty in the 38th minute that was comfortably saved by Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea held their nerve and leaned on some attacking substitutes to net the only goal of the game.
It was an eventful match, with a record-breaking fourteen yellow cards being distributed by referee Anthony Taylor, and both teams will be relieved and somewhat amazed that there were no reds shown.
Here are the key takeaways:
Sanchez cements his starting spot
Many will be completely dumbfounded at how Chelsea were able to hold onto a clean sheet, as Bournemouth regularly threatened their opponent's goal with some fast breaks and solid attacking play.
Levi Colwill slotted expertly back into the Chelsea defense following his time away on international break, but it was goalkeeper Robert Sanchez who proved the hero for the Blues; proving why Enzo Maresca holds so much faith in him.
The highlight was, of course, his penalty heroics in the first half - a sloppy back pass from Wesley Fofana left the Spainard in a predicament, leaving him no option but to collide with Evanilson in the box.
Sanchez stood firm and guessed correctly to palm away the shot and keep the score level in the first half.
There were other standout moments, a point blank reaction to keep Justin Kluivert's shot out early in the match, as well as substitute Enes Ünal's effort as Bounemouth attempted a last minute comeback.
Chelsea found their defensive rhythm eventually but Sanchez never looked uneasy in goal for 90 minutes, and was a reliable part of the Chelsea backline as he earned his first clean sheet of the season.
Nkunku can be a threat off the bench
On a matchday where Aston Villa's Jhon Duran made an unbelievable impact off the bench to win the game for his team, Christopher Nkunku proved he can perform a (somewhat) similar role for Chelsea.
Nkunku has been unlucky since Maresca's arrival - and given the Blues' rich depth in attacking midfield options, the Frenchman has often spent long periods on the bench for Chelsea.
He was brought on today as a straight replacement for Nicholas Jackson, offering a different profile at striker, and when given his oppurtunity he took it well - pivoting around two or three Bournemouth defenders and showing skill to stick the ball past Travers in goal.
Chelsea are perhaps still recovering from a failure to land any of their striker targets from the summer window, but with the contrasting profiles in Jackson and Nkunku, and with Marc Guiu also available, they might just be alright for now.
A dream debut for Sancho
Assist the winning goal, pick up the Player of the Match award, and even have travelling supporters make up a chant on the spot for you - all in only 45 minutes of game time - sounds like a perfect introduction to your new club.
Jadon Sancho was expected to be given a run out in this game given Maresca's comments that he was training well and had adapted well to his new environment.
Pedro Neto begun the game again at left wing but couldn't make an impact, whilst Mykhailo Mudryk couldn't even make the bench.
After a dry first half in attack, it was Sancho who was brought on to try and inject some life into the team.
He looked confident and in control, offering dazzling skill down Chelsea's left, as well as a surprisingly good connection with his new teammates despite only joining two weeks ago, with beautiful passes into the box from wide positions.
He was also aided by Maresca's tweaks to his system for this game, offering left back Marc Cucurella more license to push forward into attack, as well as the rotations made by Renato Veiga in midfield.
It will give Maresca plenty to think about as he decides on his strongest forward line.
An important win - but still work to be done
It's easy to get caught up in the madness of the result, and there is a lot to get excited about, but there are still visible weaknesses in this Chelsea team.
Axel Disasi again struggled playing in an unorthodox right-back role, and Wesley Fofana admittedly had a game to forget, misplacing several key passes and giving the ball away several times in key areas.
Renato Veiga was given a first PL start in the absence of Enzo Fernandez, but looked slightly uneasy in a midfield role as well as being poor out of possession, particularly in the first half.
Cole Palmer left the England camp early in the week and looked noticeably off his rhythm here, whilst Noni Madueke also had a difficult game; both failed to make a strong impact.
There was improvement in the second half as Chelsea rang the substitutes and Bournemouth appeared to tire out, but there was certainly a major element of luck for Enzo Maresca's team.
After the game there were lively celebrations in the away changing room as Chelsea move to within a point of the Top 4, but the Blues cannot get too complacent, especially with more challenging games on the horizon.
