Chelsea edged past Brentford 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, but the scoreline flattered the hosts as Liam Rosenior celebrated his first Premier League win amid a performance that raised more questions than answers.

Goals from Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer lifted Chelsea above their west London rivals into sixth place, yet Brentford dominated possession and carved out the clearer chances, only to be punished for their wastefulness.

The visitors started brightly, with Kevin Schade testing Chelsea early before squaring for Mikkel Damsgaard instead of shooting, a moment that summed up Brentford’s profligacy as Chelsea struggled to control midfield.

Chelsea’s response lacked fluency. Palmer curled an effort over the bar and Joao Pedro had a penalty appeal dismissed before the Brazilian struck in the 26th minute against the run of play.

Enzo Fernandez’s aggressive press forced an error from Michael Kayode, and Joao Pedro pounced, smashing a ruthless finish past Caoimhin Kelleher to give Chelsea an undeserved lead.

Brentford refused to fold. Damsgaard, Schade and Mathias Jensen all went close, with Jensen rattling the post, while Chelsea somehow survived a glaring miss at the other end when Alejandro Garnacho failed to score from six yards.

Early in the second half, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez bailed Chelsea out with a superb one-on-one save to deny Schade as Brentford continued to pour forward in search of an equaliser.

Rosenior then invited further pressure by withdrawing Garnacho for Andrey Santos in a defensive reshuffle that ceded territory and momentum to the visitors.

Brentford’s frustration peaked when in-form Igor Thiago headed wide from point-blank range, wasting another golden chance to level the contest.

Chelsea made them pay moments later, as a sloppy pass from Nathan Collins and slow reactions from Kelleher allowed substitute Liam Delap to sneak in, with the goalkeeper bringing him down inside the area, effectively sealing a result that masked Chelsea’s struggles.