Chelsea 1 Man Utd 0

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC ... skipper JT salutes the crowd after sinking champions United

JOHN TERRY woke yesterday to unsavoury front page headlines about his dad being an alleged drug dealer. But the Chelsea skipper restored a modicum of family pride.

He put the Terry name in the headlines for the right reasons, as the Blues went five points clear at the top.It was a crucial decision on a day when the margins were so tight.
Terry also enjoyed good fortune when stumbling into Antonio Valencia in the box and seeing the ref wave away the penalty claims. Chelsea were so frantic that Ashley Cole and Terry collided with one another attempting to clear.

And Fergie went mad when the ref stopped play with the visitors on the attack and Ancelotti's side two men down. With so little creativity in evidence, the home fans were singing loudly for the introduction of Joe Cole, who was celebrating his 28th birthday. They duly got their wish when he replaced Deco.

Rooney continued on his one-man mission to wear Chelsea down, first with a drive across goal which flew narrowly beyond the far post and then a delightful curling effort with his right foot which Petr Cech clawed away.
The temperature went up by a fair number of degrees when Drogba challenged Jonny Evans and the United defender's boot went straight into the striker's chest.


Drogba, another who cries wolf too often, was outraged to be booked and certainly had a case. He lifted his shirt to the linesman to show the imprint of Evans' studs. Then came the Terry-Anelka goal and it all got a bit ugly after that.


Evans kicked out at Ricardo Carvalho, who had dribbled the ball away when a free-kick was awarded against him for fouling Rooney. Carvalho and Evans were booked and, as Carvalho fouled Rooney again, an angry Fletcher was demanding the Portuguese defender be sent off.

The final whistle brought cheers of delight and relief round the Bridge. The Blues knew they had nicked it but they all count. For the first time, a significant gap has opened up at the top - and Chelsea are showing they are the team to beat.

Terry, showing immense character on a difficult day, quite literally rose above it all when he and Nicolas Anelka got a head on Frank Lampard's free-kick for a controversial winner. It broke United hearts and had Alex Ferguson raging about ref Martin Atkinson.

Fergie claimed Darren Fletcher got the ball when adjudged to have fouled Ashley Cole for the free-kick which led to the 76th-minute goal. United's boss looked right about that and also argued that Didier Drogba pulled Wes Brown as the kick came in.

The trouble is Fergie complains so often it is very difficult to feel any sympathy for what may have been legitimate gripes. And it was Atkinson who awarded such a generous amount of injury-time in the Manchester derby, which allowed Michael Owen to bag the clincher. So it is not as if Atkinson has a vendetta against him.

Anelka may ultimately be credited with the final touch but Terry certainly played his part and both men claimed the strike.It was the victory that really mattered most, though, not who got it.
While the Blues have played better, the sheer determination they are showing under new boss Carlo Ancelotti could bring them a first league title in four years. They were fortunate here but sometimes that is how it goes. And United have had a few victories themselves already this season they did not fully deserve.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Wayne Rooney, who was here, there and everywhere. No man could have given more than the England striker. Both Terry and Ancelotti had spoken in the match programme about how important it was to win and establish a healthy lead over their rivals. They argued these are the ones that really count, getting one over on your closest challengers.

But for much of the game, they were chasing their opponents and giving the ball away far too often. Midfielder Deco got terrible stick, with the fans demanding he be removed even before half-time.
Chelsea rode their luck on occasions, such as when Rooney was flagged offside as he broke away and TV replays showed he was level with the last defender.


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