If Chelsea played like this in the Premiership then the title race may still be an interesting proposition. The first half was surely their worst 45 minutes since Mourinho arrived at the club, and after deservedly falling behind they required two goals from Joe Cole in the final 11 minutes to spare their blushes.

Mourinho had threatened to drop players who underperformed for the more glamorous business of entertaining Barcelona, but on the basis of their first-half performance he would be taking on the Spaniards at five-a-side. The Portuguese had already swung the axe by making nine changes to the team beaten 3-0 away to Middlesbrough and the loss of blood seemed to go to his players’ heads.

Not since the days of Claudio Ranieri’s team-talks have there been so many blank faces at Stamford Bridge and Colchester took full advantage. With Richard Garcia and Chris Iwelumo offering mobility and muscle up front, Chelsea’s make-shift defence were unable to cope, a disorientation confirmed when Glen Johnson and Paulo Ferreira swapped flanks after only five minutes. By moving to the left the England defender guaranteed himself the busier afternoon, as Karl Duguid and Greg Halford pressed forward with relish.

With Johnson having gone missing, Halford’s long throw carved the home side open in the eighteenth minute, with Garcia’s cross leading to a panicky clearance when he should have shot. Four minutes later, Chelsea exposed themselves even further when Duguid cut in from the right and his floated cross eluded Robert Huth. For reasons best known to himself, Ferreira opted to duck under the ball in the hope that it would sail out of play, instead allowing Mark Yeates to shoot across goal and onto the far post. Mourinho’s face was a picture.

Colchester’s goal encapsulated perfectly Chelsea’s failings in the previous 28 minutes, being sloppy, comic and utterly unnecessary. As was the case all afternoon, the visiting team’s build-up play was neat, with Garcia laying the ball off to Halford, who returned the compliment with an excellent pass to the Australian striker. Garcia’s poor first touch appeared to have averted the danger, but with Chelsea in such a generous mood it did not matter, Ricardo Carvalho needlessly sliding in to divert the cross into his own net.

Emboldened by their surprise success Colchester pressed for a second, with Halford again finding space in the penalty area but shooting wide, but their lead lasted only nine minutes. In keeping with their general performance, Chelsea’s equaliser was a scruffy affair, Damien Duff’s corner from the left deflecting off Carvalho’s shoulder and Ferreira scoring his first goal for the club from close range.

Having erred with his original selection, Mourinho sent on his big guns for the second half, with Cole and Frank Lampard receiving the biggest Chelsea cheers of the afternoon as they warmed up during half-time. Their vice-captain’s very presence seemed to calm his befuddled team-mates, though Cole made the greater impact as Chelsea’s class finally began to tell. After Didier Drogba had headed wide from a cross by Duff, the England midfield player seemed intent on rescuing the tie by himself, bringing a smart save from Davison after a mazy run and firing just past the far post with a 30-yard thunderbolt. Colchester’s increasingly busy goalkeeper also denied Hernan Crespo, as the boys from the barracks dug a deep trench in front of their goal.

Unfortunately, they retreated too far, with their defensive wall finally crumbling under incessant pressure. Having handled Drogba with relative ease, the more cerebral Crespo provided more of a challenge. After being released by Lampard in the 79th minute, the Argentine’s shot was spilled by Davison, Cole tapping in from close range.

Having given so much, Colchester could not rouse themselves for a fitting finale, suffering instead as the scoreline assumed a cruel sheen. As they prepared to receive a deserved standing ovation in injury time, their tired defenders stood off the advancing Cole, who provided a goal more indicative of his abilities, driving into the top right-hand corner from 25 yards.

Chelsea (4-4-3): C Cudicini — G Johnson, R Huth, R Carvalho, P Ferreira — L Diarra (sub: J Cole, 46min), M Essien, Maniche (sub: F Lampard, 46) — S Wright-Phillips, D Drogba, D Duff (sub: H Crespo, 63). Substitutes not used: L Pidgeley, C Cole. Booked: Ferreira

Colchester United (4-4-2): A Davison — K Duguid, P Baldwin, W Brown, J White — M Yeates (sub: L Chilvers, 73), N Danns, K Watson, G Halford — R Garcia (sub: G Williams, 81), C Iwelumo. Substitutes not used: K Izzet, D Gerken, G Elokobi

Referee: D Gallagher

FA CUP FIFTH ROUND

Saturday

Liverpool 1 Manchester United 0 Charlton Athletic 3 Brentford 1 Bolton Wanderers 0 West Ham United 0 (Replay: March 7, 7.45pm) Newcastle United 1 Southampton 0

Yesterday

Stoke City 0 Birmingham City 1 Preston North End 0 Middlesbrough 2 Chelsea 3 Colchester United 1 Aston Villa 1 Manchester City 1 (Replay: March 8, 7.45pm; to be played on March 13 or 14 if required by TV)

SIXTH ROUND DRAW: Today: BBC Two (1.25pm)

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