Mourinho has been suffering, with the defending champions a desperate 15th in the Premier League.
And he looked to be heading for more frustration as Aleksandar Dragovic made amends for his first-half own goal by taking advantage of keeper Asmir Begovic's error from a corner to equalise with only 13 minutes left.
Chelsea's fans - who noisily supported Mourinho throughout - may have feared the worst but Willian responded in style with a spectacular 25-yard free-kick six minutes later.
The win moved the Blues into second place in Group G, three points behind leaders Porto but now with a two-point cushion to Dynamo Kiev.
Relive all of Wednesday's Champions League action
Mourinho's show of support
Mourinho has needed support in these troubled times - and he was among friends as well as receiving very public backing from his family at Stamford Bridge.
The Portuguese has appeared under siege as he has clashed with authority, receiving a one-match stadium ban and a £40,000 finefrom the Football Association after he admitted a misconduct charge relating to his language and behaviour during the recent defeat at West Ham United.
He is also facing legal action from former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro after she was dropped from first-team duties when Mourinho complained she was "naive" for coming on to treat Eden Hazard in their opening game of the season against Swansea.
Mourinho felt nothing but love here, though, as wife Matilde, daughter Matilde Jr and son Jose Jr took their places right behind the dugout to share this tense 90 minutes with him.
Mourinho was supported by wife Matilde and daughter Matilde Jr (sitting on the far left of picture)
If Chelsea's hierarchy were in any doubt about how the club's fans feel about their manager, they received the message loud and clear.
As Mourinho emerged to a huge bank of photographers to take his place in the technical area, his name echoed around the stadium in a resounding show of confidence in the manager who brought the title to Stamford Bridge only six months ago.
It was repeated throughout the 90 minutes and, as the clock ticked down, pretty much every Chelsea fan inside Stamford Bridge got to their feet to sing "Stand Up For The Special One."
Mourinho acknowledged their backing with a polite, almost modest wave - but the support was surely noted in the boardroom.
Willian the inspiration
Mourinho is often accused of not encouraging freedom and flair players - with the decline in Hazard's form given as a prime example.
Willian's form in adversity, and his match-winning brilliance against Dynamo Kiev, disproves that theory.
The 27-year-old Brazil international has been Chelsea's outstanding performer amid their struggles this season, and he was their inspiration once more here.
The attacking midfielder created a succession of chances, driving his side forward and making that decisive late contribution with a magnificent free-kick that flew into the top corner.
As he departed in the closing seconds to be replaced by Gary Cahill, he received a thunderous and fully deserved standing ovation.
Chelsea have scored in 25 straight home games in European competition
Is this the turning point?
Mourinho will hope so but a big Premier League test awaits at Stoke City on Saturday - with Chelsea's suspended managerunable to attend.
Good signs were in evidence as the Blues were combative and resilient throughout and showed great character to bounce back from Dragovic's equaliser.
Mourinho will not get carried away, however, because his defence still looked very frail under pressure and Begovic made a mess of a corner for Dynamo's equaliser.
There is still a long way to go before Chelsea are restored to anything like full working order.
Man of the match: Willian (Chelsea)
Outstanding throughout until he was substituted to a deserved standing ovation - a worthy match-winner
What Chelsea need to do
If the Blues take four points from their final two matches, they are assured of reaching the knockout phase.
They visit Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv in their penultimate match, before rounding off the group stage by hosting Mourinho's former club Porto.
Chelsea are three points adrift of leaders Porto, who won 3-1 against Maccabi on Wednesday.
Stats of the day
Chelsea are now unbeaten in six home Champions League matches, winning four and drawing twoChelsea have benefitted from four own goals in all competitions this season, with only Willian scoring more (five)Aleksandar Dragovic is the 11th player in Champions League history to score both a goal and own goal in the same game
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