Blackburn Rovers 0 Chelsea 1:Jose Mourinho has long departed but there is no sense of the belligerence the Portuguese instilled in his players going with him. This was a Chelsea victory the Special One would have cherished, with the visitors enduring a testing examination in Lancashire that was made all the more demanding when Petr Cech left the field in visible discomfort. Avram Grant and the Chelsea fans will prefer to dwell on Joe Cole's splendid winning goal.

It proved to be a crucial contribution in an exhilarating contest that somehow failed to deliver a second goal despite numerous chances for both teams. Blackburn will nurse the greater sense of regret after slipping to a fourth straight defeat. That sequence ought to have come to an end here but the combination of Chelsea's well-organised defence and two excellent saves, first from Cech and later his replacement, Hilario, secured a much-needed win for Grant's side.

Hilario's fingertip stop came seven minutes after he had replaced Cech, the Portuguese diving full-stretch to turn Roque Santa Cruz's header behind. It had been impossible to visualise such brilliance moments earlier when Hilario, making his first appearance in more than 11 months, came off his goalline to punch clear David Bentley's corner and made no contact with the ball. Santa Cruz ought to have punished the mistake but steered the free header wide.

Grant will feel Chelsea deserved the reprieve. With John Terry and Didier Drogba absent through injury, the Israeli is picking his team with one hand tied behind his back and he can ill-afford to add Cech to the casualty list. Cech's importance to Chelsea was illustrated in the 33rd minute when he used both hands to flick Steven Reid's snap-shot on to the crossbar.

It appears unlikely Cech will feature against Aston Villa on St Stephen's. He could not hide the pain that followed Santa Cruz's seemingly innocuous challenge shortly after the restart and, after struggling to take a goal-kick, was forced to retire. Mark Hughes admitted Blackburn should have placed Cech under greater pressure during the 15 minutes he attempted to play on.

Instead Chelsea stood firm with the excellent Ricardo Carvalho holding together the Chelsea backline and ensuring, Hilario's save from Santa Cruz apart, there were few genuine moments of consternation in the visitors' penalty area as the clock ticked down. The three points gleaned ensures the leaders Arsenal and second-placed Manchester United remain within sight if not touching distance.

Blackburn had started at a frantic pace, their energy levels appearing to take Chelsea by surprise as they showed no signs of fatigue following their midweek travails against Arsenal. Bentley was the catalyst for much of the early pressure, with the England midfielder revelling in a free role behind Santa Cruz that caused Chelsea, and in particular Mikel John Obi, much unease.

The Nigerian seemed to be caught in two minds as to whether to maintain his central berth in front of the Chelsea rearguard or pursue Bentley's runs and risk being dragged out of position. His indecision was welcomed by the Rovers midfielder whose contribution in the opening 15 minutes included a 20-yard shot that skimmed the roof of the net, an inswinging free-kick which hit the crossbar and a through-ball that Santa Cruz should have despatched.

That period promised much yet it was Chelsea who delivered the first blow. Carvalho read Ryan Nelsen's intention to slide a forward pass into Santa Cruz's feet, the Portuguese finding Frank Lampard before the ball was moved on to Saloman Kalou.

Kalou threaded a perfectly weighted pass that exposed Nelsen's poor positioning and allowed Joe Cole to advance before propelling a 15-yard shot beyond Brad Friedel.

Chelsea would have gone ahead 60 seconds earlier had Andriy Shevchenko evinced the same ruthlessness but the Ukrainian blazed over. Cole's goal appeared to have a calming effect on Chelsea, with Blackburn knocked out of their rhythm and Lampard feeling his way into the game. The midfielder came within inches of scoring his 100th goal for the club.

The Rovers goalkeeper produced another superb save to deny Lampard in the 77th minute. By that point Blackburn were resigned to defeat, their spirit broken. "Unfortunately we got done on the sucker punch," said the Blackburn manager. "At the same time both [ Chelsea] 'keepers have had to make great saves . . . and against lesser opposition we would have won the game. But it will turn around for us. The second half of the season is always our stronger half."