The Togo striker swept a shot high into the net on 26 minutes with his side's first real attack of the night after Oscar had opened for Chelsea with a header from close range on 11 minutes.
Chelsea regained the lead courtesy of a glorious finish from Ramires on 39 minutes, but Adebayor had the final word when he planted a lovely backheel into the path of substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson, who clipped his finish into the corner of the net on 80 minutes with Petr Cech given no chance in the home goal.
Gareth Bale had an injury-time free-kick to win the game for Tottenham and give them an unlikely three points, but his effort typified an unusually tame performance with Cech making the stop.
Chelsea remain in third place on 69 points and will surely confirm their Champions League qualification with a win at Aston Villa on Saturday such is the strength of their goal difference. They finish their season at home against Everton.
Arsenal remain fourth on 67 points, a point clear of Spurs with two league games of the season remaining.
Arsene Wenger's Arsenal will claim a place in the Champions League - or the qualifiers for finishing fourth in the table - with wins at home against Wigan and away to Newcastle over the next 11 days.
Spurs will chase six points from their final two outings of the campaign at Stoke on Sunday before Sunderland visit White Hart Lane on May 19.
They must hope Chelsea and/or Arsenal drop points as both of their London rivals will finish above them if it comes down to goal difference.
A draw was probably a just outcome, but Chelsea may feel they deserved all three points.
They moved ahead when Gary Cahill nodded Juan Mata's corner across the face of goal for Oscar to convert unmarked at the back post.
Spurs did little or nothing in the opening 30 minutes, but equalised when Adebayor broke from his own half at pace. With Chelsea continuing to retreat, he expertly lifted the ball over a bamboozled Cech, who was caught too far off his line.
Chelsea regained the lead when Ramires scampered onto a Fernando Torres pass to whip a rapid shot into the corner of Hugo Lloris's net.
Lewis Holtby and Kyle Walker knocked fairly tame shots wide in the first period, but Chelsea could have moved at least two goals clear in the second half with the excellent Eden Hazard - who limped off injured late on - lifting the ball over the bar in space.
Ramires also somehow managed to miss the ball completely when he was played in by Mata from Hazard's breathtaking pass on the break.
Rafael Benitez's side seemed destined for the win, but Andre Villas-Boas was not to leave Stamford Bridge empty handed on his first return to Chelsea as a coach since he was sacked last year.
Sigurdsson - on for Aaron Lennon after 62 minutes - accepted a lovely cushioned pass from Adebayor after some neat build-up work by Tom Huddlestone and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
Sigurdsson wasted little time in placing the ball into the corner of the net, but they could not come up with the winning goal their fans craved late on.
Chelsea remain unbeaten against Spurs at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Emmanuel Adebayor - Two glimpses of genuine class may yet be enough to see Tottenham reach the Champions League promised land.
PLAYER RATINGS
Chelsea: Cech 6, Azpilicueta 6, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Cole 6, Ramires 7, Luiz 6, Oscar 7, Mata 8, Hazard 8, Torres 7..subs: Moses 6, Benayoun 6
Tottenham: Lloris 6, Walker 6, Dawson 6, Vertonghen 6, Assou-Ekotto 7, Lennon 6, Huddlestone 6, Parker 7, Holtby 6, Adebayor 8, Bale 6..subs: Dempsey 6, Sigurdsson 7
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