Jadon Sancho came on as a substitute and played a key role in guiding Chelsea to a 1-0 win against Bournemouth. He assisted Christopher Nkunku's winning goal in the 86th minute on the south coast.
Sancho had not played in the Premier League for a year due to a disagreement with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag last season. Despite resolving the issue this summer, he joined Chelsea on loan on transfer deadline day.
Enzo Maresca's Chelsea initially struggled at Vitality Stadium, with only a penalty save from Robert Sanchez preventing Bournemouth from scoring in the first half.
Maresca brought on Sancho during the break, and later substituted Nkunku. The two players combined late in the game, with Nkunku scoring the crucial goal to secure Chelsea's second Premier League win under the new manager.
Cole Palmer started the game after missing international duty, while Moises Caicedo wore the captain's armband in place of the ill Enzo Fernandez.
Bournemouth were missing Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was on loan from Chelsea, and had a lively start to the match. Marcus Tavernier hit the crossbar early on, while Noni Madueke had a shot deflected wide.
Evanilson missed a good chance for Bournemouth before the break, and Chelsea struggled to create opportunities with Palmer closely marked. However, they were saved by Sanchez's penalty save after a defensive error.
Sancho made an immediate impact after coming on, setting up chances for his teammates. Ultimately, it was his pass that led to Nkunku's decisive goal.