FA Cup Fifth round/ Chelsea 3 Colchester 1: Jose Mourinho was given 12 jars of jam before this game by his Colchester counterpart Phil Parkinson as a gift from one of the League One club's sponsors, Tiptree, but the Chelsea manager can hardly have expected such a sticky afternoon to follow.

Not until Joe Cole curled in his second goal in stoppage-time could he relax and be sure his team would progress at the expense of impressive opponents.

If the quarter-final place goes to Chelsea, the majority of praise belongs to Colchester. They not only led for nine fairy-tale minutes but were the better team before the interval and clung on well under incessant second-half pressure to make a replay seem plausible until Chelsea's pressure finally told.

As it is, Chelsea can prepare for Wednesday's game with Barcelona with clear minds having avoided embarrassment. Mourinho has offered Barca the chance to prepare at his team's Cobham complex tomorrow if they want to keep the pitch here in the best possible condition. It cut up in the rain but Mourinho insisted it looks worse than it is. "The ball rolls at normal speed," he said.

It was certainly no bar to a fluent move that culminated in Cole putting Chelsea ahead in the 79th minute. The goal was hardly a shock after Chelsea created a series of openings but it seemed fine goalkeeping, good defending, a poor finish by Didier Drogba and a near-miss might frustrate the Premiership champions. Wayne Brown was excellent at centre-back as Colchester hung on.

It was a sign of Mourinho's dissatisfaction with his weakened team's first half, and a compliment to Colchester, that he brought on Frank Lampard and Cole at the interval and then Hernan Crespo to play alongside Drogba just after the hour. Such resources proved crucial as all three made an impact.

Cole gave Chelsea far greater goal threat as he broke from deep, going close on two occasions before scoring. Lampard raised the tempo and accuracy of the passing, which had been awful, and Crespo also helped tip the balance.

It was the striker's shot that Aidan Davison parried into Cole's path for the England international to put Chelsea 2-1 up. Chelsea needed this rise in vibrancy for they looked flat in the face of Colchester's fearlessness and neat passing.

After overcoming nerves which allowed the home team two early chances, one of which should have been taken by Shaun Wright-Phillips, Parkinson's players took the game to their opponents and dominated. They hit the post before going ahead through a Ricardo Carvalho own-goal.

Richard Garcia's movement caused problems, Kevin Watson and Neil Danns kept Colchester ticking and the wide players Greg Halford and Dubliner, Mark Yeates posed danger. Lassana Diarra struggled to impose himself on the proceedings and Maniche lacked Lampard's assertiveness. Both made way.

"At half-time the players felt it was enough, we had given them too much confidence," Mourinho said. "If you give time and space to players from other divisions they look like you," he explained.

"If you reduce the space, they have no time to think and feel under pressure. They have to chase . . . They finished with some exhausted players but should go home proud. They played with courage. They came to win and not go for a 0-0."

Chelsea's regular wastage of possession in the first half must have irritated Mourinho and a team showing nine changes was periodically opened up. There were alarms even before Yeates struck an upright from a Garcia cross, and Colchester soon led. Garcia exchanged passes with Halford before firing over a cross which Carvalho turned into his own net.

They might have extended their lead before Chelsea equalised from a set-piece. Carvalho flicked on a corner by the quiet Damien Duff and Ferreira was on hand to turn home his first Chelsea.

Chelsea had been poor from open play. Wright-Phillips' runs had too little end-product, but the arrival of the substitutes helped them take control. Drogba headed wide from six yards from Duff's inviting cross.

Goalkeeper Davison also made sharp stops from Cole and Crespo before the breakthrough. Crespo drove forward and his shot was parried by Davison for Cole to tuck in. It was game over after Cole added a superbly-taken third goal.

Mourinho said Asier del Horno will be fit for Barcelona, that Drogba should be fine despite a late leg injury and he hopes Claude Makelele will play. "We know from how difficult it was out there last year that we need to get a result here," Cole said. "I think we have the players to do it. We have a lot of respect for Barcelona but we certainly don't fear them at all."