Adrift on a raft of tabloid allegations regarding his players’ private lives, before this match Carlo Ancelotti declared he wished to “judge my players on their professional behaviour”. Little wonder he lost his rag at half-time. The intention of the noon kick-off was to quell any potential crowd trouble and it appeared to have the knock-on effect of troubling Ancelotti’s side on the pitch.

“When we went back into the dressing [room] today the manager was crazy,” Mikel John Obi said. “He went mad at us. We knew we could do better. But we came out in the second half and that’s what we gave him. He shouted at us in English and ­Italian – everything. When he’s mad he mixes everything up. He was not happy.”

It was not surprising the normally sanguine Italian gave his charges the bilingual what for. Didier Drogba aside they were awful in the opening 45 minutes. Joe Cole was hauled off at half-time – no broken ankle or marital trouble to excuse this England international’s absence from the pitch after the interval. Ancelotti’s assistant, Ray Wilkins, confirming it was a tactical decision to replace the attacker with Salomon Kalou.

It was Mikel’s lofted pass that sprung the Cardiff defence for Drogba’s second-minute goal, but the Nigeria international admitted that things were not right at half-time. Had he been unaware of this fact it seems his manager would have made things crystal clear.

“Normally he’s pretty laid-back. But when things are not going right, that’s when he goes a bit mad. But apart from that he’s very laid-back, a very cool person,” the midfielder said. “We don’t like seeing him like that. So we like to do things right.”

In his programme notes the Chelsea pitch’s absentee captain, John Terry, managed to thank the fans for their support and apologise in the opening two paragraphs. Thanks for the unwavering support and sorry for personally shipping those two goals at Everton in midweek. Sorry he may have been, but not sorry enough to line up in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

It was almost written in the stars that the captain’s replacement, Alex, would be at fault for Michael Chopra’s equaliser. The Brazil international inexplicably stopped running as Chris Burke’s in-swinging cross winged its way into the box. It was hard not to take note that the winger’s cross preceded the skinning of Yuri Zhirkov – Ashley Cole’s £16m understudy. To lose one world-class defender may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like ­carelessness.

England hope Cole will be picture perfect come South Africa and his club team-mates are just as keen to get him back – Mikel’s endorsement of Zhirkov was hardly resounding: “Ashley is a very ­important player for this team,” he said. “He is ­going to be a big loss for us. We have Yuri who can play there, but Ashley is a very ­important player. We feel really bad that this has happened to him at this stage of the season. It’s not good at any stage but now there are some big games coming up. But Yuri can do the job.”

Chelsea’s defence did look more solid in the second half, mainly because the attack located their claws and pinned their Championship opponents back. The imperious Drogba laid on goals for Michael Ballack and Daniel Sturridge (who has scored in every round of the FA Cup for Chelsea this season) before Kalou rounded off what morphed into a resounding victory with a neat finish under David Marshall.

J Cole’s replacement deserved a goal for a performance that added vibrancy to what had been a flaccid attack. Once more England fans will wait anxiously on the rehabilitation of a Chelsea player named Cole – this, however, is not as straightforward as ankle surgery. This, as Wilkins acknowledged, is a confidence issue.

“He is an entertainer and the supporters love to see him do his stuff,” Ancelotti’s ­assistant added. “For ­individualists like Joe in possession of the ball, it is a ­confidence thing. If certain things don’t go right then it is just one of those things. But we have no problems with Joe ­whatsoever.

“It is only a touch of confidence because he is trying to get back to feeling great. That is the first thing, feeling great, because when you are coming back from these injuries you end up with little niggles on the other side because you are overcompensating. Once Joe is up and playing he will be fine.”

Confidence deficiencies, ankle breaks and tabloid scrutiny … the lot of ­Chelsea’s England internationals is a rough one. ­Perhaps Frank Lampard should be ­bubble‑wrapped until June.

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All Chelsea could take from this draw was a reminder that the return of the Premier League title will only be achieved with difficulty. Against opponents from the relegation zone, they needed a Didier Drogba equaliser merely to increase their lead over Manchester United to two points at the head of the table.

Hull acted throughout as if they had notions of sneaking a victory. The match was discomfiting enough for Carlo Ancelotti to take off a muted Nicolas Anelka in the hope that the inexperienced Daniel Sturridge might make a difference, and the latter did demand a good save in stoppage time. This was Hull’s 11th game without a win in all competitions, but it felt more like a fresh start.

In games of this sort the contrast in attitude is as great as that in the fame or affluence of the respective sets of players. For Hull, this sort of night is a major part of the prize for achieving promotion. For the visitors, it is another task to be completed on a long ambitious programme. Chelsea’s perspective was broad enough for Ashley Cole to be named merely among the substitutes.

Hull had not won any of their previous 10 matches in all competitions. Given the lack of evidence that they are ready to unsettle sides such as Chelsea, there was no suggestion that John Terry might lose his way in the flurry of headlines over his private life, even if the centre-back was booked at the start of the second half.

The home support had, naturally, remembered to boo each time he took possession, but with little hope of his confidence crumbling. Terry’s winner at Burnley had already shown that he is not unsettled so easily. It is conventional threats, such as the accuracy of a talented opponent, that cause dismay. In that regard, the home crowd would have been relieved that no one had taken Stephen Hunt from them in the transfer window.

He was the main source of danger for Hull, with his confidence and accuracy on the left. Chelsea’s omission of Ashley Cole seemed to show they had have scant doubt about the outcome. There were signs that supported such faith and Michael Ballack carelessly headed a Branislav Ivanovic cross straight to the goalkeeper in the 25th minute.

Hull were much more ruthless in taking the lead five minutes later. Hunt’s corner from the right was headed in forcefully by Steven Mouyokolo who was helped in scoring his first goal for the club by the lax marking of Ballack. Chelsea were stirred into a vigour they had not shown until then, but their leveller came in odd circumstances.

They appealed for a penalty as Frank Lampard seemed to be brought down, but the referee had already blown for a foul on Anelka just outside the box. The issue became an irrelevance when Didier Drogba levelled by curling the free-kick round the wall and into the net three minutes before the interval.

Chelsea were scarcely in disarray when Drogba was at the African Cup of Nations, but the range of his gifts is great and it mattered here when his team had begun to look a little predictable. The Ivorian had last appeared for the club on December 28. Anelka had carried the striking responsibilities with ease, and the means at Ancelotti’s disposal must be disheartening to opponents.

Hull are not readily deterred. The risk of falling back into the Championship is apparent, but they seemed simply to be galvanised by this occasion. Ancelotti’s side experienced enough consternation for Terry to be shown a yellow card pulling back the forward Jozy Altidore. However, the visitors reacted to Hull’s willingness to attack.

The Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill saved a Florent Malouda drive and dealt well with a Drogba header from the ensuing corner. The match had reached a stage when Chelsea must have believed that their technical superiority was taking its toll. Phil Brown’s team, all the same, were not readily drained of spirit and, when circumstances allowed, came forward with conviction.

Hull kept the tempo high and Chelsea were not able to dictate terms from midfield for a while. An hour had passed before they achieved the measured style that must have looked ominous to their opponents. It was natural that Brown should send on a fresh man in Amr Zaki. The Egyptian was taking over from another forward, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. Hull still intended to attack when opportunity permitted.

Chelsea could not be passive and Ballack made way for Joe Cole. The conviction of Hull continued to be remarkable despite the inferiority recorded in League positions. No matter how poor their form has been, Hull have all the morale essential for the battle against relegation.

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