Thomas Tuchel warmed to the flaws of this Chelsea victory as if they offered him greater signs of progress on his restless quest for perfection.
There is often more to learn when the plan goes awry, and his team won despite mistakes and while making changes as they flexed between an international break and Tuesday's Champions League tie against Zenit St Petersburg followed by a derby at Tottenham.
In the end, they brushed aside Aston Villa with a degree of comfort but they knew they had been below their best.