Teenager Carlton Cole equalised after Charlton had battled for for an hour with 10 men, after goalscorer Paul Konchesky was dismissed for an alleged elbow.

Then, in the dying seconds, Cole was involved in Chelsea’s final attack which saw the ball run loose for Frank Lampard to convert the winner.

Charlton had won four straight games over their more illustrious capital cousins since promotion to the Premiership in the summer of 2000.

But Curbishley was wary of the Blues atoning for their poor return on the opening day of the season, citing their quality in the pre-match build-up.

Opposite number Claudio Ranieri, meanwhile, was downplaying his more youthful side’s chances.

According to the Italian boss, Chelsea today began a season in which he says they cannot and will not win the title.

They have finished sixth consecutively and view another such position as success, a variance to recent visions of grandeur.

Spanish midfielder Enrique De Lucas, a free transfer from Espanyol, is the only new face in the squad at Stamford Bridge as the west Londoners seek stability in the face of their financial constraints and he was given a debut.

De Lucas looked lively on the right of midfield, in front of compatriot Albert Ferrer, recalled at full-back in preference to Mario Melchiot.

There were a number of misplaced passes from both sides in the opening exchanges and Lampard seized on one to fire in the first shot of the game, Charlton goalkeeper Dean Kiely holding a fierce drive from 25 yards.

But Chelsea went behind as the hosts converted their first opportunity in the seventh minute.

Celestine Babayaro’s miscued clearance landed outside the Chelsea penalty area and Ferrer stabbed the ball away under pressure, but only as far as Claus Jensen.

The Danish playmaker fed the ball into the path of Konchesky on the left, who made the most of the space afforded to him by Ferrer being drawn into the centre, and strode unopposed into the area and shot across Carlo Cudicini and inside the far post.

Chelsea’s response was a 12th-minute Gianfranco Zola free-kick, which appeared destined for the top corner before Chris Bart-Williams’ head intervened.

Another interception was equally important four minutes later as Boudewijn Zenden’s through ball sent Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink galloping clear.

But in the process of shooting, the Dutch striker was dispossessed by Charlton debutant Rowett’s sliding tackle and Luke Young tidied up the loose ball.

Things took a turn for the worst for Charlton, however, in the 25th minute when a Zola corner was cleared and goalscorer Konchesky jumped for a header alongside De Lucas 10 yards outside the Charlton penalty area.

Konchesky’s elbow appeared to catch the Spaniard across the face and referee Graham Barber deemed it intentional, immediately showing the England Under-21 player the red card.

Hasselbaink wasted Chelsea’s best chance of the half when he nodded Zenden’s left-wing cross off-target.

Richard Rufus was not so profligate, though, as Jensen floated over a 33rd-minute free-kick, after Chris Powell had been tripped on the left of the area, and the centre-back headed in unopposed off Cudicini’s left-hand post.

From two goals down, Chelsea began to display more invention, though, and Zenden struck the bar from eight yards out after a backheel from Hasselbaink provided the opportunity.

And it was winger Zenden who was instrumental in pulling a goal back two minutes before the break as he hip-swerved around Young in the box and fed Zola, who tucked the ball across Dean Kiely with a side-foot.

De Lucas wriggled out of two challenges and cut in from the right minutes into the second period but his deflected effort was held low to his right by Kiely.

Republic of Ireland keeper Kiely was being tested on a more regular basis on the resumption and it took a fine piece of agility to repel Zenden’s long-range attempt.

Within seconds Kiely was at it again, though, as Emmanuel Petit scuffed one to his left and he recovered just in time to snuff out a chance for Hasselbaink, attempting to seize on an initial parry.

Zola also went close but his curling effort drifted the wrong side of the post, just after the hour.

Little was seen of Charlton as an attacking force in the latter stages but Jensen was too high with a free-kick in a rare spell of pressure.

Ranieri opted to alter his strikeforce with substitutes Eidur Gudjohnsen and Cole combining after Zola and Hasselbaink were replaced with 17 minutes remaining.

And it proved an inspired choice as Cole, who had already gone close, strolled through three challenges before guiding a daisy-cutter of a shot beyond Kiely in the 84th minute.

Having got themselves back level, however, the visitors were indebted to Cudicini who clawed away substitute Matt Svensson’s powerful late header.

But it was with more than a point that Chelsea made the short trip back across London as they grabbed an 89th-minute winner.

Cole, 18, attempted to play in Lampard on the edge of the box but the ball was inadvertently re-diverted beyond the home defence off the chest of Radostin Kishishev and Lampard lashed home.