Add to that the fine counter-attacking strike by Didier Drogba and the Premiership champions remain top of the league.
Sunderland, with the unenviable record of 19 straight Premiership defeats either side of a stint in the Championship came to defend, defend and defend.
They had two weeks to prepare to outfight the champions and for the best part of the game they did just that.
Chelsea had the look of a team searching for rhythm this season and they can count themselves lucky to face the bottom-placed side in the league following the midweek World Cup qualifiers.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho rested full-back Paulo Ferreira and replaced him with Cameroon midfielder Geremi, while with Claude Makelele suffering a knee injury, Michael Essien was given the holding midfielder role.
Both players produced admirable performances with Geremi taking more of the plaudits by virtue of his fine strike.
But in true Chelsea form, they could have taken the lead after six minutes.
Spanish left-back Asier Del Horno, a constant threat, unleashed a wonderful left footer, from 20 yards out.
The ball swerved in flight, fooling goalkeeper Kelvin Davis. But fortunately for the shot-stopper, he managed to get his right arm to the ball, deflecting it back into play but, crucially, away from goal.
In truth, that was the best it got for the champions in the first half.
Sunderland must have taken hope from the midweek performance by Northern Ireland in their win over England. Man for man, the visitors could not hope to match their opponents, but in terms of grit and defensive awareness, they more than matched Chelsea.
The Wearsiders' only effort on goal in the first period was a limp, left-foot drive by Jon Stead from just outside the penalty area in the 27th minute. Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was almost too embarrassed to pick it up.
A Shaun Wright-Phillips chest and volley on 35 minutes, which saw the ball sail over the Sunderland bar, was the last of the first-half action.
Mourinho, changed his formation for the second-half. On came Damien Duff for the ineffectual Eidur Gudjohnsen, leaving Arjen Robben to play just behind lone striker Hernan Crespo.
The breakthrough, when it finally came, was predictably from an error - in fact it was two errors.
Two minutes after Frank Lampard crashed a 20-yard drive off the crossbar on 51 minutes, Sunderland goalkeeper Davis threw the ball out to substitute Andy Welsh, who made a hash of controlling it.
His fluff allowed Geremi to race past him and drive a low shot towards goal, which Davis let skid under his body and into the net.
Chelsea secured victory with a fine counter-attack involving Joe Cole, Essien and Duff, who flighted a perfect left-wing, byline cross to the far post. Drogba rose highest and produced a powerful downward header past Davis and in at the near post.
Man of the Match: Geremi
The Cameroon midfielder made the most of his rare first-team appearance, producing a composed display and scoring the crucial opening goal.