Sometimes the importance of a player to his team is only clear in his absence. When Dimitar Berbatov left the Stamford Bridge pitch after 65 minutes yesterday, Tottenham Hotspur were 3-1 ahead and cruising. Soon they were hanging on, no longer looking likely to score a fourth goal, and Didier Drogba, the Chelsea striker, was threatening to make himself the man of a match he had barely been in.

Berbatov and Drogba have been arguably the best centre forwards in the Barclays Premiership this year, but it was the Bulgaria forward who had the clear edge yesterday.

He perhaps lacks the physical power of the Ivory Coast star, or even previous wearers of the Tottenham No 9 shirt such as Bobby Smith and Martin Chivers, and his languid style is more redolent of Alan Gilzean, especially off the ball.

But although defending from the front is not his strength, he is always involved, even if it takes the form of cajoling and advising teammates rather than closing down opponents.

When the ball does come his way, he has the height and strength to win more than his share of headers, the vision and football sense to make passes and keep moves going and the pace and close control to retain possession, as he did in the first half, while simultaneously evading a physical challenge from Lassana Diarra.

In the fifth minute, he showed his awareness of space, slipping between Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Essien so that, when A a r o n Lennon’s pass arrived, he had the yard he needed to stay ahead of Essien to score. Petr Cech had anticipated the conventional strike suggested by Berbatov’s run, low to the goalkeeper’s right, but instead the ball was hit into the centre of goal, where Cech had been.

Berbatov’s effectiveness is not restricted to the opposition’s penalty area, though. He won the ball from Arjen Robben in the right-back position to begin the move that ended in his side’s third goal and, with Chelsea forced to chase the game, Berbatov was able to come deep, take possession and run at a nervous defence.

His pass should have led to a goal for Lennon six minutes into the second half, but by now Berbatov was feeling a groin injury that eventually forced him off. “I couldn’t take a chance with him,” Martin Jol, the Tottenham head coach, said.

Drogba, slowed by an awkward early fall, had struggled to get into game, but with Mido, Berbatov’s replacement, unable to link forward play and retain possession in the same way, the Chelsea man began to see more of the ball, and he made it count.

His lunge at Michael Ballack’s header made no contact, but it distracted Radek Cerny, the goalkeeper, and allowed Frank Lampard to pull a goal back. His header from Essien’s pass from deep p r e s e n t e d Salomon Kalou with the equaliser; if the match had continued, he might have found a winner, too.

But it would have been hard on Berbatov if all his hard work had been in vain.

Explore Football

• Premier League

• Football League

• Scotland

• European Football

• International Football

• TheGame

• Live Match Tracker

• The Fink Tank

• Fantasy Football