Terry topples Toffees with last gasp strike

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Chelsea skipper John Terry netted a 93rd-minute winner to keep the Blues at the Premier League summit.

After a frustrating attacking performance, coupled with the sort of defensive resilience by Everton that looks sure to earn Roberto Martinez's men a place in Europe next season, Chelsea's captain turned up trumps to convert a Frank Lampard free kick deep into added time.

That came after Everton keeper Tim Howard had pulled off a string of fantastic saves to deny Samuel Eto'o, Eden Hazard, Frank Lampard, and most impressively Branislav Ivanovic with a stunning close-range reflex stop.

Petr Cech had been equally tested at the opposite end, pulling off two magnificent saves from the Toffees' Leon Osman. The England international first spanked a dipping volley from 20 yards that Cech clawed over before, the Czech custodian made an even better save early after the break, diving low to his left to keep out Osman's deflected strike.

Everton also had terrific chances to score through Kevin Mirallas and Phil Jagielka, but it ultimately the Blues' late surge culminating in Terry's late, late winner that proved the difference in this game.

Whilst the visitors were a constant menace on the counter attack, besides the two saves Cech made from Osman, Everton found it difficult to fashion many more opportunities, with Terry, freshly returned from an enforced spell on the sidelines, and his defensive partner Gary Cahill typically dominant.

This was a game where both defences were on the top - the difference being Chelsea were able to capitalise on their late supremacy. Everton exhibited the sort of confidence and style that has typified their impressive first season under Martinez's tutelage, but without being able to cap their dominance with a goal.

As the game progressed, with Chelsea slowly improving as an attacking outfit, it looked increasingly likely that this game would follow the path of Everton's most recent away game - a 1-0 loss against Spurs, where their lethargy in front of goal was duly punished by Emmanuel Adebayor's second half strike.

Signs this game would mirror that particular encounter were first signalled at the end of the first half when Eto'o wriggled free to produce the best out of Howard - and there would be more to come from the American.

His double save on the hour mark kept his side in contention as he first got down low to paw away Hazard's low shot. Eto'o was first to the rebound, and whilst his header was wide it fell nicely for Ivanovic, whose hammer-like volley hit Howard square in the chest as the American bounded across his goal to deny the Serbian. Shortly after, a teasing Ivanovic cross was missed by Eto'o's head by a matter of centimetres.

Fernando Torres and Andre Schurrle were introduced to the fray shortly after that and both soon had chances to break the deadlock - Torres first unluckily hitting his volley against Hazard, whilst Schurrle skewed a volley well over from another excellent delivery by the marauding Ivanovic.

As the game reached the 89th minute, another substitute, Ramires, hammered a thirty-yard screamer narrowly wide of Howard's far post as the Blues desperately searched for the breakthrough. But, deep into injury time, Chelsea's captain turned up with the winning goal to keep his side a point clear of second-placed Arsenal, who easily dispatched Sunderland this afternoon.

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[zolayes 14,489]

relieved to see us get a win ...first half we werent good but nothing like as bad

as the commentators made out ,, the ref was CRAP

[AswinR 96]

was it just me or the refree was really bad?

i tought he liked the game to be lot physical and kinda got the idea he encouraged it!

looked like even mourinho was fustrated with him...

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Yeah the referee was poor. Gave so many pointless free kicks. One of the reasons we couldn't get going was because of how stop-start the game was, and the ref only exacerbated that!

[LucienDillonCFC 77]

Great to see JT pop up with the winning goal. One of the best performers for us this season!

[Jase 43,479]

Yeah the referee was poor. Gave so many pointless free kicks. One of the reasons we couldn't get going was because of how stop-start the game was, and the ref only exacerbated that!

Thought the referee Lee Probert favored Everton a lot with his decisions. The minute an Everton player goes to ground from a challenge, it's a free kick for them but it wasn't the case when the situation was the other way round and it's a bit nonsense of Martinez to moan after the game saying we used "every trick in the book" to get free kicks. Weren't they wasting time here and there with their goal kicks?!