The Blues controlled large spells of the contest and broke the deadlock shortly before half time; Cucurella headed home an excellent cross from Noni Madueke to give us a deserved lead.

Brentford made it tough throughout but when Jackson lashed home our second with ten minutes to play, it appeared the three points had been made certain. But, as the game ticked into the 90th minute, Mbuemo netted and a nervy period of stoppage time had to be endured.

We did well in the seven minutes that were added. Brentford tried to force the issue but Sanchez didn't have to produce a notable stop in the additional time. Cheers greeted the final whistle.

The only disappointment came after the final whistle was blown, with Cucurella shown a second yellow card and then a red after a coming together with Kevin Schade.

Changes made

As expected, Enzo Maresca made wholesale changes to his starting XI. Ten players were introduced: Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill, Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Madueke, Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Jackson.

The only starter to remain from our 7,000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan was Tosin Adarabioyo, who began as the right-sided centre-back.

Taking control

It didn't take long for the pattern of the opening 45 minutes to be established. Brentford's defence and midfield would drop off, which allowed Chelsea possession in the middle third. The challenge for the Blues was to find a way through.

Jackson glanced an early header wide before a lovely 40-yard pass from Caicedo enabled the Senegal international to have another effort on goal. On the bounce, Jackson's left-footed attempt was struck well but Flekken stood tall and got his body in the way.

Palmer was next to be denied – his shot from distance swatted away by Flekken – and the Brentford goalkeeper soon got down well to save from Fernandez, who Madueke had slipped through after a well-constructed Chelsea attack.

A rapid counter-attack led to our next half-chance. Sancho and Madueke exchanged passes on the edge of our penalty area and the former surged forward. Sancho clipped a pass over the covering Brentford defender and Madueke controlled. However, just as he was about to shoot, Ethan Pinnock scrambled to clear.

Pressure on the Brentford goal continued to mount. Jackson saw a shot blocked and Madueke headed wide from the resulting corner. Sancho then volleyed an attempt into the side netting.

Brentford's forays into the Chelsea half were rare, but Colwill was forced to produce an excellent block to deflect Mikkel Damsgaard's low drive away from danger.

A late breakthrough

Madueke was next to be thwarted by Flekken. The goalkeeper had gifted the ball to the Chelsea winger 20 yards out but got down well to save after Madueke surged into the box and drove the ball low toward the far corner.

It appeared as though the sides would go into the interval level. Then came the opener. Another spell of patient Chelsea possession saw Gusto knock the ball out wide to Madueke, who brought it back onto his left foot and delivered into the penalty area.

Cucurella, deployed in the left pocket when the Blues were in possession, timed his run into the box perfectly and guided his header into the net. The lead was finally ours.

Searching for a second

Given Brentford's record at Stamford Bridge following their promotion to the Premier League – three victories from three visits – a second felt required to give the Blues breathing space. We continued to probe the Bees' backline after the restart but they stood firm until the hour mark.

Palmer and Sancho were the architects, the former showed quick feet around the area and the latter got to the byline to cut the ball back to Jackson six yards from goal. However, with the ball arriving quickly and on the bounce, he skied his shot over the crossbar from six yards.

Another opportunity came and went after Jackson and Palmer combined to play Sancho in on goal. He rounded Flekken but was forced wide and couldn't pick out a Chelsea player in the six-yard box.

With 20 minutes remaining Brentford came to life as an attacking threat. Firstly, Sanchez had to be alert to deny Wissa, although the offside flag was eventually raised. Then came a clear opportunity for the visitors.

After a corner was half-cleared by the Blues, Nathan Collins clipped the ball to the back post and found Christian Norgaard unmarked. He had time to measure his volley and the ball was destined for the far corner until Sanchez threw up a hand to save expertly.

With Brentford having opened up, the game started to become stretched. Jackson came inches away from a second with a curled 20-yard shot before Fabio Carvalho, introduced moments earlier, struck the crossbar for Brentford. Sanchez produced another superb save by diving at the feet of a Bees attacker when a goal seemed imminent.

Breathing space

It became impossible to escape the feeling another goal would arrive. The only debate was which side would score it. Thankfully, it proved to be the Blues.

The goal started with Fernandez, who played the ball down the right channel for Jackson. There was still much for the forward to do after he had taken possession, but he did it excellently and fashioned the space to unleash a powerful drive into the near post. There was jubilation, and a touch of relief, around Stamford Bridge.

Unfortunately, it lasted only ten minutes. As the game ticked into stoppage time, Mbeumo was slipped behind the Chelsea backline and guided a shot beyond Sanchez. Seven minutes were then added. Suddenly, the pressure was on.

Every tackle then mattered. Every foul won was hugely important – and cheered by those of a Chelsea persuasion inside Stamford Bridge.

A roar greeted the full-time whistle; another three points had been secured. Yet, unfortunately, an altercation between Cucurella and Schade followed and resulted in the Spaniard being shown a second yellow and then a red card. It was the only major disappointment on yet another impressive evening under Maresca.

What it means

Five wins on the bounce in the top flight and the Blues sit second in the table, four points ahead of third-placed side Arsenal and two behind league-leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

What comes next

The Blues are back in UEFA Conference League action on Thursday evening, as we take on Shamrock Rovers at Stamford Bridge in our final league phase fixture.

The teams

Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez (c); Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson (Nkunku 83)
Unused subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Disasi, Veiga, Rak-Sakyi, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Guiu
Booked: Cucurella 90+5
Sent off: Cucurella 90+8
Scorers: Cucurella 43, Jackson 80

Brentford: Flekken; van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock; Roeslev (Ajer 76), Norgaard (c), Yarmolyuk (Carvalho 75), Damsgaard (Janelt 62), Lewis-Potter (Meghoma 86); Mbeumo, Wissa (Schade 76)
Unused subs: Valdimarsson, Mee, Konak, Trevitt
Scorers: Mbeumo 90

Attendance: 39,571
Referee:Peter Bankes