Captain fantastic John Terry once again came to his side's rescue with a second-half equaliser to snatch a valuable point for the Blues against arch rivals Spurs at White Hart Lane this afternoon.
The home side had the better of the first half and deservedly took the lead through Gylfi Sigurdsson.
But the introduction of Juan Mata for the visitors in the second half turned the tide Blue and had Fernando Torres not got sent off for a second yellow card with nine minutes to go, the west Londoners could have won the game.
Honours even on the pitch but off it, it shipped that Jose Mourinho can still teach his old apprentice Andre Villas-Boas how to change a match.
The opening exchanges saw both sides pressing to establish a dominance with neither being too successful.
A few misplaced passes from both side allowing a quick change of possession.
Brazilian midfielder Paulinho decided that the best course of action was to hack a speculative shot from 25 yards out.
The result the ball ending up in row z of thePark Stand
Frank Lampard tried and left-footer of his own 60 seconds later on nine minutes which failed to trouble Hugo Lloris.
Jan Vertonghen got his head to a free-kick in the Chelsea penalty area but could not
direct it towards goal.
The home side made the breakthrough on 19 minutes when the broke quickly. Christian Eriksen twisted free with a cute turn. He passed to Roberto Soldado on the edge of the Chelsea area. The ball was passed to Gylfi Sigurdsson, who took a single touch before skipping past John Terry and clipping home a left-footer past Petr Cech.
Branislav Ivanpvic made a desperate last-ditch save to kick the ball over his own crossbar which thwarted Paulinho on 22 minutes.
A lovely Kyle Naughton side shot on 29 minutes, failed to trouble Cech who easily snaffled the long-range effort up, but it did serve notice that Spurs were completely in charge.
Chelsea by contrast looked a yard short and disjointed.
Bit by bit the Blues got a foothold and Eden Hazard was unlucky to see a shot, seemingly arrowing into Loris's top left hand corner,get deflected at the last moment by
Naughton.
Andros Townsend was booked for a dive by referee Mike Dean.
Spurs should have doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when a fine break started by Walker ended up with Paulinho smacking the left post of Cech.
A wayward header from John Terry from just inside the Spurs was the last of the first time action.
Jose Mourinho decided that enough was enough and substituted a defensive midfielder Mikel for Juan Mata.
The first attack of the half fell to the visitors. Fernando Torres squirmed his way free on the right and he sent in the perfect ball across the Spurs six-yard box. Unfortunately in-running Oscar was a tad late and failed to get a significant connection to the ball and it zipped clear of the goal.
Torres, playing his best football off the season picked the ball up from just inside his own half and raced clear through the Spurs rearguard on 52 minutes.but Lloris was quick to get to the Spain striker and managed to parry away the goal-bound attempted chip.
Chelsea had the ball in the back of the net on 57 minutes, when Mata got onto a Torres knock-on, the midfielder put the ball expertly into the back of the net, but it was disallowed as Torres was adjudged to be offside.
But the Blues got their just deserts on 65 minutes, when following a free-kick by Mata, Terry was first to react to the curling ball and got free from Jan Vertonghen and glanced home with a free header from six yards out, giving exposed Lloris no chance.
Andre Villas-Boas decided to bring on Jermain Defoe for Soldado with 14 minutes to go.
Referee Mike Dean then controversially sent off Torres for a second yellow card when he and Vertonghen jumped for the same high ball with nine minutes left. Replays suggest that neither player actually made a foul and the Spain striker can rightly feel aggrieved.
Defoe's first touch was a classic poacherh's effort in the six yard box. but the England striker could only toe-poke his shot which Cech easily held.
Sigurdsson saw a fine dipping half-volley from just outside the Chelsea area go inches wide of Cech's goal, with the goalkeeper stranded.
The Bluesheld on and a Mata-inspired second half ensured a stalemate and a point apiece.
Teams: Spurs: Lloris, Walker, Veronghen, Paulinho, Soldado, Naughton, Townsend, Dembele, Dawson, Sigurdsson, Erikesen.
Subs Friedel, Chiriches, Lamela, Holtby, Defoe, Chadli, Sandro
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Luiz, Ramires, Lampard, Torres, Oscar, Mikel, Hazard, Terry,
Subs: Schwarzer, Essien, Mata, Schurrle, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Eto'o