Troubled Terry heads home Chelsea winner
Reuters - Saturday 30 January 2010, 20:32
LONDON - Chelsea skipper John Terry, whose
personal troubles made newspaper headlines on Saturday, ensured
he would also dominate the back pages when he headed Chelsea's
late winner in a 2-1 Premier League success at Burnley.
The England captain was named on Friday as the player behind
a gagging injunction involving his private life following a High
Court hearing in London.
After the order was lifted newspapers published pages of
details about his alleged extra-marital relationship with a
"famous" woman.
The controversy did not seem to affect his performance on
the pitch, though, and when he was left unmarked at an 82nd
minute corner he powerfully headed home the winning goal.
The victory moved the west London side four points clear of
champions Manchester United at the top of the table.
Asked about Terry's personal troubles, Chelsea manager Carlo
Ancelotti told ESPN: "That is his private life.
"About his work we don't have to say anything. He is a
fantastic professional, a fantastic captain, he did a great job
for us tonight. All of Chelsea support him and his family."
After 23 matches, Chelsea have 54 points, Manchester United
50 and Arsenal 49, with Arsenal hosting United on Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, attention was focused on the race for
fourth place with current occupants Tottenham Hotspur, and the
chasing Liverpool and Aston Villa all in action.
Liverpool and Villa gained ground on Spurs who drew 1-1 at
Birmingham City. Liverpool beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0 at Anfield
and Aston Villa also closed the gap with a 2-0 win at Fulham.
Spurs stayed fourth with 42 points from 24 games ahead of
Liverpool on 41. Villa have 40, with one game in hand, while
Manchester City are on 38 with three games in hand.
SUBDUED DISPLAY
Chelsea knew victory at Burnley, who have beaten Manchester
Ubnited and drawn with Arsenal at Turf Moor this season, would
open up a four-point gap on their closest rivals.
However, their performance was a subdued one until they took
the lead in the 27th minute through Nicolas Anelka.
Even then they failed to build on that advantage and allowed
Burnley, who have slipped into the relegation zone after a
bright start to the season, back into the game early in the
second half.
Steven Fletcher out-thought and out-muscled defender Alex
before scoring Burnley's first goal since Brian Laws became
manager earlier this month.
The joy was short-lived though with Terry's header enough to
send Burnley to a fourth straight defeat since he took over.
LIVERPOOL WIN
Across Lancashire a few hours earlier, Liverpool beat Bolton
with goals from Dirk Kuyt and an own goal from Kevin Davies.
At St Andrews, Spurs took the lead after 69 minutes with
Jermaine Defoe scoring his 17th of the season in all
competitions but, just when the victory seemed assured, Liam
Ridgewell equalised in stoppage time.
It is the second time in a week that Spurs have allowed
victory to slip from their grasp in the dying seconds after
Leeds United scored a last-minute penalty to force a 2-2 draw in
their FA Cup fourth round match last Saturday.
Villa ended a run of four league matches without a goal with
their 2-0 win at Fulham, who have now lost their last five
league matches and were booed off at the end.
Two goals from Gabriel Agbonlahor in four minutes just
before half-time allowed Villa to climb into sixth place above
Manchester City, who play bottom side Portsmouth on Sunday.