Chelsea made it four wins out of five under Liam Rosenior with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over the struggling Crystal Palace.
The result means Chelsea move back into the top four, finishing the weekend in 5th at a minimum. Meanwhile, Palace remain in 15th, failing to capitalise on Tottenham's blunder against Burnley.
It was a relatively even first half until a devastating break and finish from Estêvão fired the visitors into the lead.
Problems worsened in the second half for Palace as a goal from Joao Pedro and a converted penalty from Enzo Fernandez put the Blues firmly in charge of the affair.
Adam Wharton was dismissed for a silly challenge on Moises Caicedo that earned him a second yellow, before Chris Richards scored what turned out to be purely a consolation goal for the Eagles.
Story of the match
It was a bright start to proceedings from the Crystal Palace frontline, particularly Jean Philippe Mateta, who looked hungry to leave his mark on the game in the early stages.
The Frenchman was gifted a wonderful opportunity less than ten minutes in. Mateta's compatriot Benoit Badiashile was caught on the ball, leaving the ball at the feet of the striker, only to be denied by the outstretched leg of Robert Sanchez, who prevented the Eagles from taking an early lead.
Chelsea would respond with a good chance of their own only a few minutes later. Marc Cucurella was the creator, fizzing a ball across to a congested box, but finding Enzo Fernandez anyway. The Argentine struck first time, but his effort travelled significantly over the bar; a let-off for the hosts.
Liam Rosenior's men were struggling to build up any sort of momentum in the first-half, failing to put the Palace backline under siege as clear-cut chances were coming at a premium.
Neither side had really come close to breaking the deadlock since the early stages until just past the half-hour mark when Chelsea landed the first blow of the contest.
Glasner's men were the architects of their own downfall, as a poor backpass from Jaydee Canvot was picked up by Estêvão. The Brazilian could not be caught by the backtracking Mitchell as he kept his cool and dispatched past Dean Henderson.
It was a blow for Palace as the Blues had certainly not been at their best throughout the first half, yet still found themselves in front heading into the break. Estêvão came close to doubling his tally and Chelsea's lead on the stroke of half-time, but his effort from a tight angle was struck just wide.
Palace would have still been confident ahead of the second half as they certainly held their own in the opening 45 minutes. However, just five minutes into the second half, the mountain that Glasner's men had to climb became much steeper.
A devastating pass from Estêvão was received by Joao Pedro, who charged towards goal. The Brazilian cut inside of Adam Wharton and fired low and hard through the legs of Henderson to double Chelsea's advantage. The visitors were firmly in the driving seat now.
Estêvão was running the show for the West London outfit, very nearly getting himself a second with a curled effort that was only denied by an outstretched Henderson.
The hour mark saw the home sides' woes deepen as referee Darren England was sent to the monitor to review a potential handball offence on Canvot. The 19-year-old had his arm tucked to his side, but the fact that the ball was heading goalwards was deemed sufficient reasoning to award the penalty.
Enzo Fernandez was the man to step up in the absence of Cole Palmer. The 25-year-old coolly dispatched his effort past a rooted Henderson into the bottom right corner.
Chelsea knew the game was won as Liam Rosenior made the decision to pull some players off for a rest ahead of their trip to Naples midweek, including Caicedo, Neto and Estêvão.
It only got worse for the hosts as Wharton, already on a booking, slid in and made a late challenge on Caicedo. This warranted Darren England to present the midfielder with a second yellow, meaning he will miss a potential crucial clash with Nottingham Forest next week.
Chelsea looked comfortable to see out the final quarter of an hour by passing the ball around, whilst Palace looked hesitant to pull themselves out of position, trying to stop them.
However, Palace did leave their mark on the scoreline late on, much to the frustration of Robert Sanchez, who was infuriated with Fernandez in the wake of the goal. It was Chris Richards who headed the ball over the line after a scramble in the box.
That, alongside nine minutes of additional time, presented the hosts with a glimmer of hope, but it ultimately was not to be as Oliver Glasner lost to Chelsea for the first time as Crystal Palace manager.
Four wins out of five for Liam Rosenior is not a bad outcome from his first five. Yes, the football might not have been the most attractive to watch at times, but the Blues got the job done once again, which is exactly what a club with their aspirations need to do.