Blue day for Terry: Chelsea skipper's fury as blunders let United go top

18 October 2009 00:02
John Terry blew his top as a fatal weakness in the Chelsea defence was exposed by Aston Villa's big guns. The England captain was incandescent with rage at his team's awful marking after they conceded twice from corners to lose 2-1 at Villa Park, gifting top spot in the Barclays Premier League to Manchester United. The defeat was Chelsea's second in successive away matches, following their humiliation at Wigan, and the defence which once seemed impregnable now looks to be rocking at set-pieces. Hulking centre-backs Richard Dunne and James Collins did the damage for Villa with a goal in each half after Didier Drogba had given Chelsea the lead - and it wasn't just Terry who raged with frustration. Drogba and defender Ashley Cole also had a fierce argument on the pitch over the problems at the back and manager Carlo Ancelotti laid into Chelsea's approach for the third away trip in a row. The Italian, who knows defensive frailties could pose a threat to his side's title challenge, said: 'On the set-plays we need to do better. We need to apply more pressure and more markers in the box. 'At Wigan, we made the same mistake for the first goal and we have to work to improve the situation because it's important. 'We have a lot of very good jumpers, like Didier Drogba, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, and we have to pay more attention, with more concentration in the box. We have worked on the set-plays but have to maintain focus. There are things we can improve and set-plays are one of these.' Chelsea actually won in the Champions League at Apoel Nicosia between these two defeats. However, their poor showing in Cyprus still had Ancelotti reverting to his native tongue to lambast his players because his English was not good enough to express the level of his anger. Villa manager Martin O'Neill insisted his side should have won by more yesterday after being denied a penalty early in the game. But his argument that Villa were well worth a victory - and that it wasn't based purely on set-pieces -fell on deaf ears after Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho and Nicolas Anelka all shared the blame for Chelsea's setback. Terry was still furious as he left the ground but goalkeeper Petr Cech, who was defended by Ancelotti, admitted the defeat was a blow to Chelsea's title hopes. He said: 'We gave United a chance to get in front of us and it is three points dropped unnecessarily. 'It was disappointing to concede from a set-piece because before then we defended very well. The second half was more or less the same story. But there is still a long way to go. 'I think it is better to lose one game and win one than draw twice. We haven't got a problem playing away from home. It is unfortunate and we have to reflect on it, but we can repair the damage.'

Source: Daily_Mail