What Jose Mourinho did on his Chelsea return as Enzo Maresca's biggest challenge is crystal clear

The showman is still present, but there was no dream comeback for the Special One. Jose Mourinho received a hero's welcome from the Stamford Bridge crowd, but his evening ultimately ended in defeat at the hands of his former club.

At times, Mourinho's touchline antics and theatrics were almost more captivating than the match itself as Chelseastruggled to secure what should have been a straightforward Champions League victory.

However, Enzo Maresca's squad seldom make things easy for themselves, and this time it took an own goal to secure their first win of this season's European campaign. Then, Chelsea substitute Joao Pedro was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in injury time for a high tackle. The self-destruct button never seems far away.

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Mourinho is now 62, his hair has turned grey, and the days when he won this competition seem to be in the past. This was his eighth journey back to Stamford Bridge with a rival team and, astonishingly, he has only managed one victory, reports the Mirror.

That was back in 2010 when Mourinho's Inter Milan defeated Chelsea on their way to winning the Champions League. The greatest regret of Mourinho's illustrious career is that he never won the biggest prize during his two tenures at Chelsea because no-one should forget what a fantastic manager he was.

Regrettably, the emphasis is on 'was'. Mourinho remains a captivating figure, providing all the sound bites and emotion in the build-up, and his Benfica team did him proud.

Despite falling behind to Richard Rios's own goal, the Portuguese titans refused to crumble and put up a valiant fight. Mourinho had engaged in his customary pre-match psychological warfare by praising Maresca and Chelsea's chances of clinching the Champions League title. After all, as Mourinho pointed out, they had already secured the Club World Cup.

Based on this performance, Chelsea seem far from being genuine contenders, but perhaps Mourinho's charm offensive had an impact on Maresca, as the home side hardly went for the jugular. This encapsulates Chelsea's season. They've made things difficult for themselves and even their victories are far from convincing.

Chelsea always provide an opportunity. Benfica seized theirs after seven minutes when Belgian winger Dodi Lukébakio's low shot nearly slipped past Robert Sanchez, but the Chelsea keeper managed to deflect it onto the post. That was as close as Benfica came.

It was a significant reprieve and Benfica were swiftly punished. Pedro Neto's diagonal ball was pulled back by Alejandro Garnacho and his low cross was then inadvertently turned into his own net by Rios.

That was a gift for Chelsea who appeared rather toothless through the centre. It's hardly surprising given that teenager Tyrique George, 19, was leading the attack. And this is a player who they almost offloaded to Fulham on deadline day.

George must be feeling rather disoriented, appearing utterly lost up front for Chelsea as he struggled to connect with any service from Neto or Garnacho. Pedro was only fit enough to come on as a second half substitute, but after one reckless yellow card came a second for a high challenge. Absolute madness.

Maresca's biggest challenge is establishing an identity for this Chelsea team. Their performances can vary drastically from one week to the next, reflecting in their inconsistent performances.

Benfica turned up the heat, Chelsea had half chances and yet perhaps one of the best moments of the night came when Mourinho stepped in as peacemaker.

Mourinho approached the travelling fans to implore them to stop pelting Chelsea's former Benfica midfielder Fernandez with missiles. Things you never thought you would see from Mourinho.