Chelsea and Tottenham clash in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening. Encounters between the two London rivals are often fiercely contested affairs, but whatever happens during the match at Stamford Bridge, it'll have to be pretty outlandish to beat the bizarre interaction between Jose Mourinho and Eric Dier when the two teams met in last season's competition.

It's been a little over 15 months since Spurs met the Blues in a round of 16 tie at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2020. However, much has changed in the coaching departments of both sides since.

The men in charge on the night - Mourinho at Spurs and Frank Lampard at Chelsea - openly rowed on the touchline as their players sought to secure a quarter-final berth for their respective clubs.

The pair, who would both be removed from their posts before the end of the 2020/21 season, exchanged words shortly after Timo Werner gave the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Mourinho was overheard goading his opposite number over Chelsea's celebrations, shouting: "F***ing hell Frank, when you're losing 3-0 you're not standing up here."

While the tension between the two managers made for an absorbing watch, it was nothing out of the ordinary, especially for Mourinho.

The second-half, though, threw up a scenario so odd that even Jose was caught off guard by it.

With Tottenham still trailing by a goal entering the final 15 minutes of normal time, Spurs defender Eric Dier suddenly sprinted off the field without warning - and disappeared down the tunnel.

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Mourinho, like the rest of those watching, had no idea why the England international had departed in such a fashion, but he wasted no time in trying to find out.

An exasperated Mourinho bolted for the changing rooms himself, bellowing "Eric" as he did so.

After just over a minute, the player returned to view, closely followed by his manager. It turned out that Dier simply needed a toilet break, but Mourinho still looked to be raging as he returned to his technical area.

You can check out the truly unique scenes below.

Video: Jose Mourinho chases Eric Dier after Spurs defender sprints off the pitch v Chelsea

Following their brief period with 10 men, Tottenham were soon back on level terms, with man of the moment Dier even involved in the build-up to Erik Lamela's equaliser.

Having restored parity, Spurs ultimately won the tie 5-4 on penalties - an outcome that likely saved Dier having to hear an awful lot more about his decision to abandon the game mid-match.

Tottenham went on to qualify for the final of last season's Carabao Cup, although Mourinho was not in charge for their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City - after being sacked by the club six days before the showpiece occasion at Wembley.