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Chelsea's fading Premier League title hopes suffered a huge blow as Fulham hit back to earn a battling draw in a lacklustre west London derby.
Juan Mata put the hosts ahead after the break, cracking home a fine first-time shot from the edge of the box.
Fulham levelled when Bryan Ruiz easily beat Ashley Cole and found Clint Dempsey, who netted from close range.
Chelsea dominated possession and created a host of chances late in the game, but the visitors held on.
Raul Meireles and substitutes Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda each had two chances to secure maximum points after Dempsey's 56th-minute strike as the Blues laid siege to the Fulham goal.
However, Chelsea's late dominance was in stark contrast to a desperate first-half display which lacked urgency, quality and conviction.
Despite being pinned back in their own half for most of the final half-hour, Fulham were good value for a draw which leaves Chelsea 11 points below Premier League leaders Manchester City and Manchester United following the Boxing Day fixtures.
Misfiring £50m striker Fernando Torres, making his first Chelsea start in two months, once again failed to impress with another hit-and-miss display.
The Spaniard volleyed straight at goalkeeper David Stockdale after showing immaculate chest control from Mata's exquisite pass before the interval, and had a decent shout for a penalty ignored after the break.
But Torres continues to look a shadow of the player so often hailed as the best forward in the world during his Liverpool days.
The Cottagers frustrated Chelsea with a disciplined defensive display, and a line-up full of attacking talent broke with purpose to create as many decent chances as their hosts before the break.
Dempsey forced a fine save from Petr Cech with an awkward effort that bounced in front of the goalkeeper, and Moussa Dembele and Orlando Sa, who played up front on his own, also had efforts on goal.
At the other end Daniel Sturridge sliced a shot wide after being teed up by Torres, but Chelsea only sparked into life after half-time.
They went ahead when Mata found the corner of Stockdale's goal from 18 yards after Torres held the ball up.
Any hopes that it would be lay the platform for a much-needed convincing home win soon vanished when Ruiz did brilliantly to deceive Cole and Dempsey got in front of David Luiz to turn the ball home from close range.
At that point Andre Villas-Boas's side finally began to play with greater belief.
Sturridge saw a decent curling strike flicked over by Stockdale, and Malouda, on for the ineffective Frank Lampard, was unlucky not to score with a cheeky close-range backheel from John Terry's header.
Torres also had a shout for a penalty ignored as he tumbled on the edge of the area and Drogba shot straight at Stockdale from a tight angle.
Meireles then shot narrowly wide after a wonderful turn and had a header tipped over by the impressive Stockdale.
Drogba also had a free-kick tipped over in the closing seconds as Chelsea looked to avoid a damaging third consecutive 1-1 draw.
But Fulham were able to withstand the onslaught and earn the point they so craved following last week's home mauling by Manchester United.
John Terry played his part in an entertaining encounter as Chelsea survived an early Tottenham onslaught to earn a point at White Hart Lane.
Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas had no hesitation in selecting his captain 24 hours after Terry discovered he was being charged with racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
And despite being subjected to taunts throughout from Spurs supporters, the defender won prolonged backing from the visiting fans before throwing his shirt to them at the final whistle.
Emmanuel Adebayor gave the hosts an early lead as Harry Redknapp's side threatened to overrun Chelsea in their pursuit of Premier League pace-setters Manchester City and Manchester United.
The Blues stood firm and recovered to equalise through Daniel Sturridge before half-time - and were left frustrated as Didier Drogba struck the woodwork shortly after they levelled, then Ramires wasted two perfect opportunities in the second half.
Tottenham also posed a threat throughout, with Adebayor having a goal ruled out for a marginal offside decision and Gareth Bale and William Gallas also squandering opportunities.
Inevitably, it was left to Terry to have the final word as he blocked Adebayor's shot on the line in the dying seconds to ensure Chelsea earned a deserved draw.
The deadlock was not the ideal outcome for either side, but the result was fair. Spurs now stand seven points behind second-placed United with a game in hand, while Chelsea lie fourth.
Terry's name was met with a predictable chorus of jeering from the home fans as it was read out before kick-off, but Chelsea's supporters responded with loud backing for the England captain.
Spurs were delighted to be able to recall Bale after an ankle injury and it took only eight minutes for his importance to be graphically illustrated as he created the opening goal for Adebayor.
He ended a trademark surge down the left with a low cross that provoked a moment of hesitation from visiting keeper Petr Cech as he dived into the challenge with Adebayor, allowing the Togo striker to score.
Tottenham's pace and movement, particularly from Bale, saw Chelsea penned in and starved of possession, with manager Villas-Boas an agitated figure in his technical area.
The away side drew level against the run of play when Ashley Cole's cross was allowed to find Sturridge right in front of goal for a simple finish past the exposed Brad Friedel.
Chelsea were understandably encouraged by the lift of a goal and Drogba almost turned affairs around completely with a thunderous half-volley that crashed against the woodwork with Friedel well beaten.
Spurs had lost some of their early momentum but the Blues had to adapt as they lost Branislav Ivanovic and Jon Obi Mikel to injury before the break, with Paulo Ferreira and Oriol Romeu the replacements.
Redknapp was also deprived of a key figure for the restart as Rafael van der Vaart succumbed to a hamstring injury, giving Roman Pavlyuchenko another chance after scoring the winner against Sunderland at the weekend.
In spite of the changes, Chelsea made the better start after the interval as Friedel was forced to save twice in the space of seconds, first from Ramires as he raced through and then from Terry's header as he met the resulting corner.
Adebayor had the ball in the net again just before the hour, only to see the effort ruled out after the tightest of offside calls.
Spurs had been unable to get their main midfield orchestrator Luka Modric into the game in the manner they had at the start, but he almost made an impact from a set-piece as Sandro glanced a header wide.
Chelsea were not backing away from the battle though and Friedel was in action once more to clutch Sturridge's low shot at the second attempt, much to the frustration of the increasingly animated Villas-Boas.
As an entertaining encounter entered the last 10 minutes, Bale wasted an opportunity to restore Spurs' lead when he shot well over after being released by Modric's clever touch inside the area.
Cech then clawed away Sandro's deflected shot and Gallas turned Bale's cross inches wide at the near post as the hosts tried to regain their earlier supremacy.
The best chance came and went for Chelsea with four minutes left when Juan Mata's free-kick found Ramires completely unmarked in front of goal eight yards out, only for the Brazilian to direct a desperately poor header wide.
And, in a dramatic conclusion, Terry saved a point for Villas-Boas's side when he blocked Adebayor's shot on the line.
Jordi Gomez's late equaliser halted Chelsea's charge up the Premier League table and gave Wigan a vital point in their relegation battle.
The Latics felt they should have had a first-half penalty when Victor Moses' shot struck Branislav Ivanovic's arm.
Chelsea improved after the break and took the lead when Daniel Sturridge fired home from Ashley Cole's pass.
But Wigan refused to give up and denied the Blues victory when Petr Cech's fumble gifted Gomez a simple tap-in.
A point was exactly what Wigan deserved after refusing to be intimidated by Chelsea's lofty status, matching the Londoners stride for stride.
Sturridge's superb finish looked to have set Chelsea on course for their fourth straight league win, but Wigan continued to attack and boss Roberto Martinez's decision to bring on strikers Hugo Rodallega and Franco Di Santo proved inspired as the duo combined to set up Gomez's late goal.
The setback leaves Chelsea third in the table, six points behind leaders Manchester City, who host Arsenal on Sunday.
Wigan, meanwhile, are now just one point behind Wolves, who lost to Stoke, in 17th after picking up seven points in their last four games.
Indeed, the Latics began the game with the confidence of a team in good form and had an early penalty appeal turned down when Gomez went down in the box under Cole's challenge.
Chelsea slowly passed their way into the match, but chances were few and far between as Wigan defended with impressive resolve.
Unable to pierce the home side's rearguard, the Blues were restricted to shots from distance, with captain John Terry fizzing wide from 30 yards and Oriol Romeu cracking a low volley which Ali Al Habsi tipped around the post.
The best opportunity of the half went Chelsea's way five minutes before the break when Raul Meireles picked out Didier Drogba six yards out, but the striker's diving header went wide.
Then came the most controversial moment of the half, as Wigan were denied a penalty when Moses' drive hit Ivanovic on the arm.
Replays suggested the Serb moved his arm towards the ball to block the goal-bound effort, but referee Martin Atkinson remained unmoved.
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas brought on Salomon Kalou at half-tim, and the Ivorian made an immediate impact on the left, getting to the byeline and cutting back for Drogba to fire into the side netting.
Wigan survived that scare but could not prevent the visitors from taking the lead through the consistently-impressive Sturridge.
Cole picked out the run of the England striker, who took one touch to control the ball with his left foot before drilling his fourth goal in five league games right-footed past Al Habsi.
Wigan desperately searched for a response. Maynor Figueroa fired in a shot that was destined for the bottom corner until Cech stretched out a hand to push it wide.
Then a sloppy backpass from Ivanovic gave substitute Rodallega a sight of goal. His effort was smothered by Cech, but the ball fell to Di Santo, whose shot was cleared off the line by Ivanovic.
Still the Latics poured forward and they gained their reward three minutes from time when Rodallega's shot was spilt by Cech straight into the path of the grateful Gomez.
Frank Lampard's late penalty earned Chelsea victory and condemned leaders Manchester City to their first Premier League defeat of the season.
Lampard - once again excluded from Chelsea's starting line-up by manager Andre Villas-Boas - came off the bench to score the winner with seven minutes left after Joleon Lescott handled Daniel Sturridge's shot.
Mario Balotelli gave City a lead their early domination deserved but Chelsea forced their way back into contention through Raul Meireles's equaliser before half-time.
Roberto Mancini's side were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Gael Clichy was sent off, leaving Chelsea to make the most of their numerical advantage and record a third win in succession to leave City with a two-point lead over neighbours Manchester United at the top of the table.
City will regret not putting the game out of reach in an imperious opening spell - but Chelsea demonstrated the resilience of old to survive that siege and emerge with a win that puts them only seven points off the Premier League summit.
Villas-Boas insisted Chelsea were showing signs of a revival after beating Newcastle United and Valencia following a torrid spell. This, however, was a serious examination of their recovery and they passed the test successfully.
And Lampard, pushed to the margins in the last two games, proved his character to step up under pressure in the closing minutes to convert that vital penalty. Villas-Boas revealed afterwards that Juan Mata had been the designated spot-kick taker, but after a brief discussion with the Spaniard Lampard took responsibility.
City's unbeaten league run came to an end after 15 games - now Mancini and his players must regroup ahead of Sunday's meeting with improving Arsenal at Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea made one enforced change, with Jose Bosingwa replacing the suspended David Luiz - while Balotelli was recalled to instant effect for City.
Sergio Aguero must take much of the credit with a turn that left John Terry trailing and a sublime pass with the outside of his right foot into the path of Balotelli. The young Italian may be turbulent elsewhere, but in the penalty area he is calmness personified, as he proved by dismissing the attentions of Branislav Ivanovic to round Petr Cech to score.
City were in command and should have doubled their lead after 14 minutes when Aguero brushed aside Bosingwa and wrong-footed Ashley Cole, only to drag his shot wastefully wide.
David Silva then appealed for a penalty when he fell under Bosingwa's challenge - but referee Mark Clattenburg waved play on while declining to punish the Spaniard for diving.
Chelsea, as much by force of will as any real superiority, dragged themselves into a game which had been completely in City's control and were rewarded with an equaliser 11 minutes before the break. Once again the goal owed almost as much to the creation as the finish, with the impressive Sturridge escaping from the toiling Clichy before crossing for the incoming Meireles to volley powerfully past City keeper Joe Hart.
Former Manchester City player Sturridge was one of Chelsea's leading lights on a stormy evening and he was only just off target with a rising drive a minute after the restart from Mata's free-kick.
City went down to 10 men just before the hour when Clichy, who had been booked early in the second half for fouling Sturridge, tripped Ramires to earn his second yellow card. It capped a miserable night for the defender, who had suffered in the face of Sturridge's pace and threat.
Chelsea, having been outplayed in the early stages, now sensed victory and Villas-Boas introduced Lampard with 17 minutes left in an attempt to make their numbers count.
Mancini appeared to have settled for a point by removing Aguero for Kolo Toure and sending on Nigel de Jong for Silva - but Chelsea were not to be denied.
And Lampard it was who put Chelsea in front with seven minutes left. There were few complaints from City after Sturridge's shot hit the raised hand of Lescott - leaving Lampard to drill the penalty straight down the middle before celebrating with the supporters behind the goal in the Matthew Harding Stand.
Today saw the eagerly awaited draw for the third round of the FA Cup (sponsored by Budweiser) and yet again there are some mouth watering clashes including the reigning Unofficial Champions Manchester City playing host to their city rivals Manchester United.
It'll give Alex Ferguson's men the chance to avenge their 6-1 defeat at Old Trafford in October and will also give Roberto Mancini's men the chance to announce themselves as the team to fear this season.
In the only other all Premier League tie form side Newcastle United will host Steve Kean's (correct at the time of typing) Blackburn Rovers.
Two non-league sides have been handed dream ties with Tamworth heading to Goodison Park and should Chelmsford City beat Macclesfield Town in their replay they will have the honour of hosting Bolton Wanderers.
Other ties to look out for will be Arsenal hosting Leeds United and also the London derby between Fulham and Charlton Athletic. (also my side West Ham United have to travel to Sheffield Wednesday)
All ties to be played January 7th
Ties involving Premier League sides are:
Manchester City v Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur v Cheltenham Town
Chelsea v Portsmouth
Arsenal v Leeds United
Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers
Liverpool v Southend United or Oldham Athletic
Gillingham v Stoke City
Bristol Rovers v Aston Villa
Everton v Tamworth
Norwich City v Burnley
MK Dons v Queens Park Rangers
West Bromwich Albion v Cardiff City
Barnsley v Swansea City
Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Fulham v Charlton Athletic
Peterbrough United v Sunderland
Chelmsford City or Macclesfield Town v Bolton Wanderers
Swindon Town v Wigan Athletic
Unbeaten Manchester City powered on at the top of the Premier League with a crushing 5-1 defeat of Norwich City at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.
Sergio Aguero gave Roberto Mancini's men a half-time lead before Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure made certain and substitutes Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson completed the rout. Norwich were outplayed for most of the game but did claim a consolation ten minutes from time with a Steve Morison header.
It was a quick return to winning ways for City after last week's draw at Liverpool and took their impressive league goalscoring tally to 48 after 14 games.
Mancini made eight changes after their midweek League Cup quarter-final win at Arsenal but defender Kolo Toure was retained ahead of Joleon Lescott. Nasri, making his third successive start, also kept his place and responded with an influential display, linking well with Aguero and David Silva throughout.
Edin Dzeko, the third City player to stay in the side after Tuesday, had the game's first opportunity after two minutes when he dragged a shot across goal from distance.
Welsh striker Morison had a chance for Norwich early on when the ball bounced kindly for him on the left but he also missed the target. He failed to make the most of another opening when he raced clear in the tenth minute as Joe Hart came out to force him wide and Kolo Toure got back to clear.
After that scare, City began to step up the pressure with Dzeko getting in another attempt but having to settle for a corner. Aguero, who had earlier shot at Ruddy, then spurned a glorious chance when he volleyed over from seven yards from a Nasri cut-back.
Dzeko again had Norwich back-tracking when he nutmegged Russell Martin 40 yards out and charged to the edge of the box but Marc Tierney deflected his shot wide. City's opener eventually came, though, in the 32nd minute after Anthony Pilkington failed to cut out another Richards break.
Micah Richards closed in on goal and then pulled back for Aguero, who showed nimble footwork to turn past Leon Barnett and poke the ball through a crowded goal area to score his 13th of the season from six yards. Aguero could have had a second moments later after Yaya Toure won the ball in midfield and set up Nasri to cross but the former Atletico Madrid man again fired over.
Despite that home superiority, Norwich had a chance to equalise two minutes into the second half as Elliott Bennett chased a long ball. Bennett had chance to shoot but opted to go round the advancing Hart and took the ball too far wide, from where he could only shoot over.
Norwich paid the price for that miss as the impressive Nasri doubled the home side's advantage after 51 minutes, although it is doubtful the Frenchman meant it. Nasri got lucky when he floated a free-kick into the box from the left and the Norwich defence left it to run through to Ruddy. The goalkeeper was slow to react and was unable to claw it out as it bounced in front of him and crept in at the far post.
City immediately threatened a third as Silva cut in from the right but Ruddy made a fine double to keep out his shot and Aguero's attempt on the rebound. The resulting corner found its way to Gareth Barry but the English midfielder could not keep his shot down.
City's third came in the 68th minute as Nasri came short to play a one-two with Silva at a corner and the Spaniard fed Yaya Toure on the edge of the box. The midfielder nonchalantly allowed the ball to come across his body and curled in a low shot at the far post.
Nasri was removed moments later as Johnson was sent on and Mancini also decided to withdraw Aguero soon after. Balotelli, who was sent off against Liverpool, took his place.
Victory was all but a formality, but City, having conceded in their previous six league games, were again unable to keep a clean sheet as Norwich replied. Morison was the man on target, rising at the back post to plant a firm header past Hart from a corner.
The hosts restored a three-goal advantage two minutes from time as Yaya Toure played in Johnson, who turned to square for Balotelli in front of goal. Ruddy palmed out the Italian's initial effort but it looped up into the air and the striker calmly nudged it over the line with his shoulder.
There was still more to come and City added a more emphatic gloss to the scoreline in injury time as Johnson placed a low shot past Ruddy.
