Juan Mata and Fernando Torres Give Jose Mourinho Much to Ponder After Spurs Draw

The friendship—or lack of, in this case—between Andrea Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho threatened to overshadow this weekend's clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Villas-Boas helped fan the flames somewhat with his comments throughout the week as the buildup intensified, but come referee Mike Dean's final whistle at White Hart Lane, we were thankfully back to discussing matters of a footballing nature.

It was a pulsating clash in North London—one which, given the balance of play, both teams could argue they deserved to win.

Spurs had Chelsea's number in the first half, with the 1-0 scoreline at the interval confirming as much. But with the introduction of Juan Mata from the bench in place of the ineffective John Mikel Obi, the Blues showed their quality with an excellent second-half performance to end the game with a point.

Indeed, Mata's lack of game time under Mourinho has been one of the subplots thrown up at Stamford Bridge this term. It's resulted in rumors of him potentially leaving the club (via Daily Mail), while his manager has outlined that he expects more from the Spaniard tactically if he is to become a permanent fixture under him.

Mourinho got the desired response and a whole lot more on Saturday after Mata provided the assist for John Terry to nod home Chelsea's equalizer, proving influential as the Blues turned things around with an encouraging display.

Up until Mata's introduction, Chelsea's performance had been pedestrian at best. They lacked energy and creative output, while Paulinho and Mousa Dembele were dictating the game from midfield for the opposition.

Fernando Torres cut an isolated figure as the lone striker. His work rate was admirable, but he was starved of service and was having little impact as a result.

It was undoubtedly frustrating for him and the thousands of Blues supporters who had made the short trip across London. Knowing things had to change, Mourinho had little choice but to finally show some faith in his diminutive No. 10.

Mata's influence was instant. Chelsea were visibly more effective going forward, and with Mata controlling possession and bringing those around him into play, he also unleashed Torres.

If this was Chelsea's best performance of the campaign thus far, it was also one of Torres' best in a blue shirt, even though he was awarded a red card as the list of offences in his duel with Jan Vertonghen totaled up and eventually saw him dismissed on 80 minutes.

He shouldn't lose heart from that, however, and neither should his manager. With Samuel Eto'o yet to find his scoring boots in West London and Demba Ba struggling for form, Chelsea are desperate for one of their strikers to live up to their reputations.

The threat Torres carried against Spurs, gliding past defenders at will and proving a general nuisance in the process, suggests he is that man.

At times, Michael Dawson and Vertonghen didn't know how to handle him, and it was the same for the Spurs midfield when it came to Mata.

The Spaniards collectively gave Chelsea an extra dimension—one they have been lacking so far under Mourinho, who knows his team needs to start finding some semblance of form if they are to put together a sustained title challenge.

In recent years, it's been around this time of the season when cracks have started to appear in Chelsea's armor before the wheels truly fell off.

It happened with Roberto Di Matteo last term and Villas-Boas before him. The performances of Torres and Mata at White Hart Lane suggest it may just be the opposite in 2013-14.

Torres and Mata have given their manager plenty to consider, that's for sure.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here: @garryhayes