Two late goals against Bournemouth finally gave Frank Lampard his first win since his return as Chelsea's interim manager.
The Blues had lost all four Premier League games since Lampard's return in April, but had led through Conor Gallagher's early header.
Matias Vina levelled for Bournemouth, but Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix struck inside the last 10 minutes.
Relegation remains a possibility for the Cherries with three games left, while Chelsea are 11th in the table.
Bournemouth's best spell came early in the second half when Vina missed a chance for a second and Dango Ouattara headed over from close range, but Gary O'Neil's side still have a good chance of avoiding a quick return to the Championship with games against Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Everton to come.
They are currently nine points clear of the bottom three, although some teams still have four matches to play.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling among five players left out from the side that had lost 3-1 at Arsenal in their previous outing, Chelsea were much improved with 21-year-old Noni Madueke a particular threat on the right-hand side.
Lampard had opted to bring in Gallagher as well as Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Havertz, and he said shaping a side from a large squad after a poor run has been difficult.
"There are a few players finding their feet," Lampard said.
"Typically at Chelsea, one or two have fed into the group and now we have more. It's understandable that as a group finding rhythm and confidence can be difficult.
"This is a first step, it won't be plain sailing but there is talent there and the players need to come together to get us to where we want to be.
"We came in off the back of a tough run, it's been a tough year and there is a lot work to do. But the performance and the result in isolation are really good, we deserved to win the game. It's a nice step forward for the lads."
Latest Stories
-
Fugitive Zambian MP arrested in Zimbabwe – minister
24 mins -
Town council in Canada at standstill over refusal to take King’s oath
35 mins -
Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws
47 mins -
Providing quality seeds to farmers is first step towards achieving food security in Ghana
57 mins -
Patient sues Algerian author over claims he used her in novel
2 hours -
Kenya’s president cancels major deals with Adani Group
2 hours -
COP29: Africa urged to invest in youth to lead fight against climate change
2 hours -
How Kenya’s evangelical president has fallen out with churches
2 hours -
‘Restoring forests or ravaging Ghana’s green heritage?’ – Coalition questions Akufo-Addo’s COP 29 claims
2 hours -
Ensuring peaceful elections: A call for justice and fairness in Ghana
3 hours -
Inside South Africa’s ‘ruthless’ gang-controlled gold mines
4 hours -
Give direct access to Global Health Fund – Civil Society calls allocations
4 hours -
Trudeau plays Santa with seasonal tax break
4 hours -
Prince Harry jokes in tattoo sketch for Invictus
4 hours -
Akufo-Addo commissions 200MW plant to boost economic growth
5 hours