Terry denies Spurs

28 September 2013 17:02

John Terry's second-half header prevented Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas from claiming victory over Chelsea in a hot-tempered grudge match against former mentor Jose Mourinho that ended 1-1.

The pre-match fireworks between the two managers had given an extra edge to what was already one of the most hotly-contested derbies in English football, and for the most part the game lived up to its billing.

Tottenham dominated the first half and took the lead through Gylfi Sigurdsson, but Terry - one of the personalities with whom Villas-Boas clashed at Chelsea - gatecrashed the Spurs boss' party to level the scores.

Tempers often frayed during the match. Fernando Torres was sent off for two bookings - the last of which was a questionable one in which he was penalised for throwing an elbow at Jan Vertonghen when replays showed there was no contact.

The Spaniard could have been given a straight red in the first half for scratching the defender's face.

Villas-Boas and Mourinho had been practically inseparable for seven years, but the Spurs boss made it clear in the run up to the derby that he and his compatriot are no longer friends.

The two shared the weakest of handshakes before the game, and during the contest, it looked as though the master would be beaten by his old apprentice.

As Villas-Boas takes his ride around the M25 to Gatwick airport to catch his flight to Porto on Saturday night, he will be kicking himself about the result.

His Tottenham team had the upper hand over Chelsea for the majority of the first half and they could have had three or four by the break.

But Terry's goal, which came from a Juan Mata free-kick, means he will have to wait until March before he gets another chance to defeat Mourinho again.

Source: PA