Blackburn Rovers' Zurab Khizanishvili (right) challenges Manchester City's Darius Vassell for the ball during their FA Cup quarter-final football match in Blackburn yesterday. The home team won 2-0. - Reuters

LONDON, (Reuters):

Chelsea stormed back from two goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in an electrifying FA Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

Blackburn Rovers became the first team into the last four with a 2-0 victory over Manchester City while Watford joined them after beating second division Plymouth Argyle 1-0.

Manchester United and Middlesbrough will also go into the hat for today's draw after finishing at 2-2 on Saturday.

Yesterday's drama came at Stamford Bridge where strikes by Dimitar Berbatov and Hossam Ghaly and an own goal from Michael Essien gave Tottenham a 3-1 halftime lead as they looked set to end a 17-year wait for a win at Stamford Bridge.

However, Chelsea fought back leaving Spurs wondering how they did not secure a second win of the season over Chelsea after their home Premier League victory before Christmas.

Second goal

Frank Lampard's second goal after 71 minutes gave the league champions a lifeline and substitute Salomon Kalou volleyed the equaliser four minutes from time to set up a replay on March 19.

Chelsea, still missing skipper John Terry, never got to grips with the attacking trio of Berbatov, Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon but displayed trademark stubbornness to avoid a first domestic home loss in open play under coach Jose Mourinho.

Hesitant defence

Berbatov put Tottenham ahead after five minutes, thrashing a shot into the top right corner after superb link-up play between Lennon and Defoe.

Chelsea responded midway through the half when midfielder Lampard was alert enough to steer Germany captain Michael Ballack's wayward shot into the net from close range.

Essien gifted Tottenham the lead again after 28 minutes when he bundled a low Lennon cross past his own goalkeeper Petr Cech and when Ghaly steamed through a hesitant defence to make it 3-1 after 36 minutes Spurs looked set for the semi-finals.

Early in the second half Lennon and Defoe spurned chances in quick succession to put Tottenham out of sight and the visitors were made to pay the price.

Chelsea gambled on all-out attack and their pressure paid off when Lampard grabbed his second goal when Tottenham failed to deal with a high ball into the box.

With just four minutes left Chelsea striker Didier Drogba won a header on the edge of the area and substitute Salomon Kalou smashed a first-time volley past Spurs keeper Radek Cerny.

Both sides went for the victory in a pulsating finale with first Defoe rattling the bar with a ferocious shot and then Andriy Shevchenko almost sealing it for the hosts.

Players' mentality

"The players' mentality was very, very good," Mourinho told the BBC. "We were almost out of the FA Cup when we were two goals down but at the end we are still in the competition."

Spurs boss Martin Jol added: "I knew if we got the fourth goal it would have been all over and we could have done that."

Goals in each half from Aaron Mokoena and Matt Derbyshire saw Blackburn beat Manchester City. It was a day of mixed fortunes for South African Mokoena who was sent off after the break for a second booking.

Watford, who reached the final in 1984 and last made the semis four years ago, edged past plucky Plymouth thanks to a first-half goal from French striker Hameur Bouazza.<