Premier League: Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1

Didier Drogba was the hero then the villain after surprisingly being left on the bench by Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.

He earned Chelsea a point against Tottenham with an equaliser 20 minutes from time but then missed a late penalty that could have won the game and ended his team’s crisis.

Drogba, who had equalised Roman Pavlyuchenko’s opener after coming on as a substitute at half-time, had a real chance to end Chelsea’s run of only one victory in six games when Heurelho Gomes brought down Ramires in the last minute.

But keeper Gomes made instant amends when he dived to his left to keep out Drogba’s spot-kick and keep the score at 1-1.

The result sees Chelsea drop to fourth in the league, only one place above Spurs but still only a point behind leaders Arsenal.

But they can at least point to a much-improved performance in a match which Ancelotti knew he could not afford to lose.

In an action-packed first half played at a fast pace it was Tottenham who went ahead after only 15 minutes, just what troubled Chelsea had dreaded.

Jermain Defoe made an excellent cross-field run to reach a long ball down the left flank and then crossed low for strike partner Pavlyuchenko.

The Russian still had plenty to do but his excellent first touch took him past both John Terry and Mikel and his second saw him flash an unstoppable shot past Peter Cech.

Chelsea responded well, however, and twice went close through Salomon Kalou headers before Nicolas Anelka had a goal disallowed for offside.

Ancelotti, who had controversially left Drogba on the bench after the malaria-ridden striker failed to score from open play in his last 10 games, made a change at half-time to try and save the game.

Drogba came on for Mikel, with Chelsea switching to a 4-4-2 formation.

Drogba had one effort well saved before Gomes made an even better stop, tipping a header from his own team-mate Winston Palacios over the bar.

Eventually Drogba made his presence count – out-muscling and out-manoeuvering a tiring Michael Dawson, playing his first match after three months out injured, before smashing a left-foot shot that Gomes embarrassingly allowed to slip through his grasp and into the net.

Chelsea brought on Frank Lampard after 77 minutes for his first match since hernia surgery in August but when they won a late penalty the ball was handed to Drogba.

Unfortunately for the Ivorian, with regular penalty taker Lampard watching, he fluffed his chance and both teams had to settle for a point.