Chelsea 1 Valencia 1: Silva's sparkle hands Mourinho a daunting task to wrestle with

If Chelsea fail to make it past Valencia on Tuesday then, come Champions League semi-final day on 24 April, you will find Jose Mourinho with his children at the American wrestling extravaganza at Earls Court. The theme of the night is "Smackdown" although it is tempting to think that there is a much worse fate in store for the Chelsea manager from his Russian boss if his side fail in Europe yet again.

That was the insouciant response from the Chelsea manager when he was forced to confront the possibility of a third straight failure in the Champions League under his command after this bleak draw at home. Accompanied by the trademark so-what shrug, it was the kind of remark that is likely to drive them to distraction in the Chelsea boardroom. "If we win, we go to the semi-finals; if we don't, I already have tickets to take my kids to the wrestling at Earls Court," Mourinho said. It almost sounded like he did not care.

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He does, of course, but remarks like these have the blessed effect of distracting attention from a poor performance against a Valencia team who have lost only once all season at their Mestalla home and looked comfortable last night. Didier Drogba's 30th goal of the season rescued Chelsea from defeat after David Silva had scored one of the best goals of the competition. At the end of an arduous season, Chelsea are beginning to look exhausted, although Valencia do not have them pinned to the canvas quite yet.

With Mourinho, you never know whether a performance to change this tie will be summoned from somewhere but they have to score at least one in Spain. Against Watford on Saturday they pulled off something remarkable right at the death, although repeating the feat against a side of Valencia's quality will be quite another matter.

Mourinho complained about his lack of attacking options on the bench, although Joe Cole played the last 15 minutes, and he defended the decision to leave out Claude Makelele in favour of John Obi Mikel. His reasoning was that the teenager gave Chelsea more attacking options but that could not disguise the fact that Makelele's star is fading fast at Stamford Bridge.

"If we have a referee in Spain who is not influenced by the enthusiastic atmosphere of the Mestalla, then why can't we get a result there?" Mourinho said. "The score is 1-1 not 0-3 - if you asked Ronald Koeman whether PSV could beat Liverpool 4-0 away he would say that he did n't believe that. But Chelsea can win in Valencia or we can draw and take the game to extra time. Why not?"

For the Chelsea manager as we know him to be this relaxed when his back is really up against the wall is unusual - he normally comes out fighting. He surely has not yet given up on Chelsea's European dream in what will almost certainly be his last few months at the club, but last night the casual nature of his remarks seemed poorly judged. His club could end the season with just the Carling Cup and Mourinho's tone seemed strangely deflated. Almost like a man who really would rather watch the wrestling instead.

Valencia's two pocket-sized strikers David Villa and Silva were brilliant in short bursts but Villa never sustained the threat that his formidable reputation carries. Instead it was Silva who really hit the heights, passing a ball against Mikel in the 30th minute and then, having retrieved it, bearing down on goal from the left.

Perhaps Mourinho could reprimand his side for giving the little chap too much room in a far left channel but no one expected the 30-yard cannonball shot that he launched across Petr Cech and into the far corner. It is an exceptional strike that beats the Chelsea goalkeeper from that sort of distance and that kind of angle and Silva is clearly an exceptional prospect.

For Valencia, however, came the lesson that one moment of brilliance is not enough to defeat a side as relentless as Chelsea. They raised themselves again for the second half and the equaliser was a classic example of the ruthless capacity of Mourinho's side to capitalise on the smallest error.

Santiago Canizares' goal-kick down Chelsea's left was skewed right at Ashley Cole and the full-back sent the ball drifting back over the heads of a Valencia defence that was on the turn. What followed was the slightest of misjudgements by Roberto Ayala, the 33-year-old Argentine veteran who was left for dead by Michael Owen in St Etienne almost nine years ago. He let the ball bounce and Drogba ran on to it and headed past Canizares.

David Albelda was a force in the centre of midfield and this is the eighth time Valencia have been unbeaten against English opponents - it was not difficult to see why. "English football is physical and we don't mind the physical side of it ourselves," Flores said. They even survived a typically clumsy error from Asier del Horno, who collided with Andrei Shevchenko in the same corner where he was humiliated by Barcelona's Lionel Messi last season.

On came Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips for the last 15 minutes, a Mourinho flourish to win the game. They almost did score when Ricardo Carvalho had a shot cleared from the line, then Shevchenko's overhead kick was deflected. The last time they drew a Champions League quarter-final first leg 1-1 Chelsea overturned the deficit 2-1 against Arsenal at Highbury in 2004. They are on the ropes this time.

Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Cech; Diarra, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole; Mikel (J Cole, 74); Lampard, Ballack, Kalou ( Wright-Phillips, 74); Drogba, Shevchenko. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Makelele, Boulahrouz, Bridge, Ferreira.

Valencia (4-4-1-1): Canizares; Miguel, Ayala, Moretti, Del Horno; Joaquin (Viana, 86), Albiol, Albelda, Vicente (Angulo, 57); Silva; Villa (Jorge Lopez, 90). Substitutes not used: Butelle (gk), Curro Torres, Nacho Insa, Pallardo.

Referee: F De Bleeckere (Belgium).