Standing between José Mourinho and a trophy is a dangerous place to be. Tottenham Hotspur were another team caught in the crossfire yesterday as the Chelsea manager desperately seeks to embarrass Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner.

Martin Jol feared that his team would need a fourth goal to kill off an extraordinary FA Cup sixth-round tie, but it might have taken five or six, and a stake through the heart to stop a manic Mourinho from driving his team on to a thrilling comeback at Stamford Bridge.

Leaping around on the touchline, the Portuguese could not have been more involved if he had taken to the pitch to volley the 87th-minute equaliser. He has never lacked a will to win, but threatening to dismiss him has simply poured paraffin on to his raging competitive fires.

Mourinho had had good reason to be so jumpy. With 20 minutes to go, it was easy to imagine Abramovich with an itchy trigger finger. Writing out the P45 was looking a lot less troubling with the Chelsea defence in such chaos that you would not have put a penny on them winning anything else this season — least of all the FA Cup.

They were trailing 3-1 and in a state of tactical anarchy. John Terry is said to be demanding £130,000 a week from his employers. The videotape of this match, with its succession of defensive horrors, is the best bargaining tool he will have.

For once, Mourinho appeared to have been outwitted. Jol had surprised him by playing Aaron Lennon through the centre, just behind Dimitar Berbatov and Jermain Defoe, and, with the England winger tormenting Lassana Diarra (a very weak imitation of Claude Makelele yesterday), Tottenham were good value for their 3-1 lead at half-time.

Ashley Cole, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho were embarrassing themselves, but the resolve that Mourinho has instilled in his team can never be underestimated.

They came from behind against Arsenal in the Carling Cup final, again to beat FC Porto in the Champions League and this unlikely draw owed nothing to good football and everything to guts and desire.

With Mourinho stalking up and down the sidelines, berating Mike Riley, the referee, one minute and his own players the next, they were back in the match when Frank Lampard brought the score back to 3-2 after 71 minutes, sweeping the ball in from a corner. Make that 19 for the season. As usual, right place, right time.

Then, three minutes from the end, Carvalho launched a long pass forward to Didier Drogba and he knocked it inside to Salomon Kalou, who connected with a crisp volley to make it 3-3. For the first time all afternoon, the crowing Cockerels had been silenced.

There was still time for Tottenham to launch another counter-attack through Defoe, but Petr Cech tipped the shot on to the bar. The world’s best goalkeeper (name one better) had made an equally crucial intervention from Lennon with the score at 3-1. Perhaps the Barclays Premiership title race would have been different if Cech had not been absent for four months.

Only Barcelona and Charlton Athletic (in the Carling Cup, and on penalties) have inflicted home defeat on Mourinho in 80 matches and yesterday demonstrated why those losses are so infrequent. Mourinho’s team never give up, although they were helped yesterday by the fatigue that drained their opponents. Tottenham had played in the Uefa Cup away to Braga on Thursday night.

They began superbly, taking the lead after only five minutes, when Berbatov hit a first-time drive past Cech after good work by Defoe and Lennon. Lampard equalised, turning in a mis-hit shot from Michael Ballack, but the visiting team were quickly back in front.

With David Beckham in the stands, Lennon was proving why many regard him as England’s future as he constantly eluded poor Diarra. Bursting down the inside-right channel, he caused more panic in the Chelsea defence in the 28th minute. Before Cech could gather his cross, Essien had stuck out a leg and turned the ball into his own net.

Not since his early coaching days back at Leiria can a Mourinho team have looked in such disarray. And worse was to come. Hossam Ghaly’s breakaway began deep in the Tottenham half and it should never have reached the Chelsea area. But as Diarra and Carvalho dawdled, the midfield player charged through unmolested and slid the ball under Cech.

The encouragement for Chelsea was the knowledge that Tottenham would tire. Particularly after their midweek exertions, a system based on swamping the Chelsea defence was going to be hard to sustain in the second half.

Even more so with Berbatov forced off after 65 minutes with a groin injury and with Lennon also withdrawn as fatigue set in. Chelsea could afford to take more and more chances.

By the end, Mourinho was effectively playing with only two defenders. Back they came and even at 3-3 and with Drogba and Ballack hobbling, he was demanding that his players keep going for the winner.

It did not come but, soon after the final whistle, the manager was rushing to catch a plane to watch Valencia before the Champions League quarter-finals. As Abramovich knows full well by now, if his manager is to depart this summer, he does not intend to go quietly.

HOW THEY LINED UP

Chelsea (4-4-2): P Cech — P Ferreira (sub: S Wright-Phillips, 35min), M Essien, R Carvalho, A Cole (sub: S Kalou, 64) — M Ballack, L Diarra (sub: K Boulahrouz, 57), F Lampard, A Robben — A Shevchenko, D Drogba. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, W Bridge. Booked: Carvalho, Cole, Kalou, Diarra

Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-1-2): R Cerny — P Stalteri, M Dawson, R Rocha, Lee Young Pyo — H Ghaly (sub: A Gardner, 82), D Zokora, T Tainio — A Lennon (sub: S Malbranque, 77) — J Defoe, D Berbatov (sub: Mido, 66). Substitutes not used: R Burch, T Huddlestone. Booked: Ghaly, Zokora, Lee, Stalteri, Cerny

SPURRED

- Tottenham’s three away games in the past eight days have produced 18 goals: West Ham United 3, Tottenham 4; Braga 2, Tottenham 3; Chelsea 3, Tottenham 3. There have been 60 goals in their past 14 matches (4.3 per game).

- Tottenham came from 2-0 down to beat West Ham but lost two-goal leads against Braga and Chelsea.

- Dimitar Berbatov has scored five times in his past six games for Tottenham, and Robbie Keane six in four.

- Chelsea have scored 22 goals in the last ten minutes or stoppage time of games this season in all competitions.

- Chelsea’s late shows mean they have not lost at home in domestic competition under José Mourinho in 67 matches, excluding a penalty shoot-out defeat by Charlton Athletic.

- Chelsea have scored at least three goals in eight of their past nine home games in all competitions.

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