Everton 1-0

Independent:

Chelsea 1 Everton 0 John Terry’s injury-time stretch keeps Chelsea on course for ‘destiny’
 
Miguel Delaney 

There may be many questions about the manner of Chelsea’s winning goal, not to mention its actual scorer, but there can be absolutely no doubting its importance.
 
Destiny wanted it,” Jose Mourinho said, and these type of 93rd-minute winners certainly tend to inspire feelings of fate – if not just outright win titles.
That may be premature to say right now and could well be proven wrong in a season as tight as this, but the present reality is it keeps Chelsea top of the table. They remain on course.
Typically, as has been his wont lately, Mourinho was only willing to speak about it in those kinds of terms thereafter. He deflected any questions about defining moments or whether this is the sign of champions, instead merely pointing to the facts.
“It’s simple,” the Portuguese said. “If today we have only one point, if the teams that are behind us they win, we lose that position. The difference is very small.”
As such, this was a big goal for the League leaders – especially because it was so belated.
“Every victory keeps us there, every defeat or draw we lose a position,” Mourinho stated. “The feeling when you lose points in the last minute, like we lose two points at West Bromwich, is obviously a bad feeling. You have three points in your hand and lose two. When you win in the last minute, it’s the opposite so it’s basically compensation for the two points we lost against West Bromwich.”
Mention of a fixture against the midlands side is pointed but, when the final goal went in, it wasn’t the  11 February 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns that felt the most relevant. Instead, these final minutes had more common with November’s  2-2 draw.
On that occasion, an all-too-easy Ramires fall forced the incident that secured Chelsea a positive result. Here, it was much the same.
Deep into stoppage time, and deep into Everton’s half, the Brazilian midfielder went down under what seemed to be a fair challenge from Phil Jagielka. That allowed Frank Lampard the opportunity to curl the ball towards goal from the resulting free-kick, and John Terry to throw his body towards it.
It was unclear whether the Chelsea captain or Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard got the final touch, but it finally put clear daylight between the teams.
The Everton manager Roberto Martinez was admirably graceful about it afterwards, describing it as simply the kind of thing that happens “everywhere in football”, but he did state it was “soft”. This, by contrast, was a hard-fought game.
In truth, Ramires had a significant input long before his late surge. Mourinho even described his introduction as the match’s turning point.
It’s difficult to dispute. For virtually all of the first half, and with the Brazilian on the bench, Everton were the dominant team.
The most striking aspect of that, however, was that it was not just in terms of possession but also power. Martinez’s team were simply outmuscling Chelsea.
Around the 20th minute, James McCarthy went through Terry and came out with the ball. In various other incidents around that, other than one nutmeg, the Irish midfielder cowed an unusually quiet Eden Hazard.
“I think it’s a very unfair result for us not to get anything after that performance that we’ve had. From a tactical and technical point of view, we were the better team,” Martinez fairly stated. In terms of the lack of a prime striker, though, they were identical. It was the one area in which both sides lacked force, and the fact Mourinho ended up playing two forwards – in Samuel Eto’o and Fernando Torres – only served to highlight that issue further.
The obvious reference is the injured and ineligible on-loan Romelu Lukaku but, for the Chelsea manager, it meant an obvious change.
“Normally my change would be a different one, but I felt I needed to control the game because my team is not a team that scores a lot of goals so, if they score before us, we are not a team in normal conditions able to score two goals and win the game, so I prefer to put Ramires on. That gave much more consistency to our midfield.
“They were in control for parts of the second half but, for the last 20 minutes – 15 minutes plus the five extra-time, we were strong, we create, we press, we dominate.
“Of course, when you win minute 90-something you can speak about lucky, but the reality is the boys chase that, they chase a lot.”
It means everyone else is still chasing Chelsea.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Lampard; Hazard, Oscar (Ramires 45), Willian (Torres 62); Eto;o (Schurrle 69).

Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; McCarthy, Barry; Mirallas (Deulofeu 75), Osman IBarkley 63), Pienaar (McGeady 80); Naismith.

Referee: Lee Probert.

Man of the match: Terry (Chelsea)
Match rating: 7/10

=======================

Observer:
Chelsea's John Terry breaks Everton at the death to boost leaders
Paul Wilson at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have drawn at West Bromwich Albion and gone out of the FA Cup since taking over the leadership of the Premier League so impressively at Manchester City, and José Mourinho insisted a win here would be vital to keep the pressure on their title rivals. They achieved it without managing to be convincing, only going ahead in the 93rd minute when John Terry claimed a goal after turning in Frank Lampard's disputed free-kick.
That was hard on Everton, whose tidy and composed performance had kept Chelsea at bay quite comfortably for the first 90 minutes. If it turns out that the last touch for the goal is credited to Tim Howard rather than Terry it will be even harder. The winner was a long time coming, though one way or the other it was no surprise to see it scored by a defender.

This was a game in need of a striker. The one Everton borrowed from Chelsea was ineligible and Lacina Traoré, the loan signing they brought in as cover for Romelu Lukaku, injured himself in the warm-up. The home side could have done with either of them. Mourinho went with Samuel Eto'o, with Fernando Torres and Demba Ba left on the bench, though as has happened on a few occasions this season Chelsea lacked a cutting edge.
"We have our limitations, that's obvious," Mourinho admitted. "It was never going to be one of those days where we score three or four goals. I feel a bit sorry for Everton, because a point would have been fair for a good performance. They played well, they controlled parts of the game and they were very comfortable on the ball. They don't create many chances but their quality in possession is equal to anyone else in the Premier League. We were strong at the end, though. In those added five minutes, only one team was dominant."

That was true, though Roberto Martínez rather naughtily suggested there is a reason why Mourinho's Chelsea stay unbeaten for so long at home. "Ramires was not fouled for the free-kick that led to the goal, it was a soft free-kick but Chelsea know every trick in the book when it comes to winning set pieces and profiting from them," the Everton manager said.
"I'm not complaining really, they are very good at what they do, but I couldn't see them scoring a goal from open play. We were magnificent in the first half, it was a great performance generally, but the scoreline at the end is what matters. We need to make sure that when we play well we end up with the points we deserve," he added.
Eto'o did bring a save from Howard in a closely contested yet uneventful first half, though the shot was straight at the goalkeeper and the Cameroonian should probably have done better. Petr Cech had to work harder to keep out a snap shot from Leon Osman that would have crept under his bar without a touch yet the clearest chance of the half came right at the end and fell to another midfielder, Kevin Mirallas, who miscued and sent the ball horribly wide.

Apart from that small amount of excitement the most notable feature of the game had been a highly unusual clearance from Phil Jagielka, an airborne back heel or scorpion kick that appeared improvised rather than rehearsed, before Osman tested Cech again on the hour with a low drive from the edge of the area. The goalkeeper kept out despite it picking up an unhelpful deflection along the way from James McCarthy. Howard bettered that within seconds with an extraordinary double save, first a one-handed stop to deny Eden Hazard when he looked to be diving the wrong way, then an acrobatic block to prevent Branislav Ivanovic hammering home the rebound from close range.
Mourinho made attacking subsitutions, though none that seemed likely to work, and in fairness when Everton sent Ross Barkley on for the last half hour he too had an afternoon he would prefer to forget.

André Schürrle volleyed too high with what appeared might be Chelsea's last chance of the game, and Torres' only attempt at goal ended up hitting Hazard on the backside rather than the target.
It was that sort of day for the league leaders until the fourth official indicated five minutes of stoppage time and Everton's resolve appeared to drain away.
The visitors were worth a point, though never seriously attempted to gain more than that, and ultimately paid the price.
Jagielka complained bitterly about the free kick that Ramires won, and Chelsea packed the box so effectively it was impossible to tell whether Ivanovich got his head to the ball before Terry reached it or whether it was Howard who diverted it over the line, but the three points were a relief to Mourinho.
"We needed to stay top," the Chelsea manager said. "If we had drawn we might have been back to third in a few more hours."

==================

Telegraph:

Chelsea 1 Everton 0
Jim White

Never mind Jose Mourinho’s young horses, it was a pair of old nags that won Chelsea the game at the death and kept them at the top of the Premier League table. With three minutes of stoppage time already elapsed and the score at 0-0, Frank Lampard swung in a free kick from the edge of the Everton area which appeared to be floating beyond the visitors’ obdurate back line. But John Terry is not one to surrender lost causes and he hared after the ball, galloping from an onside position to stab it home past Tim Howard. Cue delirium among a Stamford Bridge crowd that had largely given up hope of securing three points.
“We can talk about lucky, but the boys chased that,” said a clearly relieved Jose Mourinho. “I feel sorry for them [Everton], but we were the team which was trying to win.”
It was a lesson in staying the course. For 90 minutes it had looked as if Roberto Martínez’s shrewd tactics had negated the strengths which have been Chelsea’s hallmark under Mourinho. Across the course of normal time, Everton had matched everything the home side could deliver. Their vaunted midfield three, the wellspring of so much initiative this season, were kept in check by the muscular presence of Gareth Barry and James McCarthy. Up front Samuel Eto’o and then Fernando Torres demonstrated quite how urgent is the need for Mourinho to find a more potent attacking force. But the good news for the manager is that behind them, the old boys kept on pressing, kept on believing, kept on trying. And eventually they got their reward when the captain arrived in the right place at the right time.
“I don’t want to say it’s just John, it’s the team,” said Mourinho. “It’s John and [César] Azpilicueta, [Gary] Cahill, Frank, all of them.”
For Martínez, the disappointment was tempered by the manner in which his side played.
“That’s where we are,” he said. “But I’m excited about what’s ahead of us. In the short term, the scoreline is what matters, but looking ahead the performance is exactly what we needed.”
His measured response was at odds with that of his captain Phil Jagielka. The England man, who had capped a superb game by clearing the ball with a René Higuita-style scorpion kick during the first half, heatedly complained to the referee Lee Probert about the award of the free kick which led to the goal. He was insistent that the substitute Ramires had been artful in its pursuit. And slow-motion replays suggested the Brazilian had gone down with an ease which was eerily reminiscent of his tumble in the last second to win a face-saving penalty against West Bromwich Albion at the Bridge in November.
“It is very soft,” said Martínez of the award. “But that happens in the game. It is a free kick for a home team with an incredible know-how of how to get these decisions. You look at the record Chelsea has at home, it is more than just playing well every week.”
The match had begun with disappointment. The home crowd were precluded from the sight of the tallest player in Premier League history stepping out on the Bridge pitch as Everton’s 6ft 7in Lacina Traoré pulled his hamstring in the warm-up. His replacement Steven Naismith provided a more mobile if less immediately identifiable target.
The absence of the giant forward did not seem to diminish Everton ambitions. With everything creative as always coming down their left hand side, the visitors spent much of the first half in the ascendancy. Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar exchanged quick, incisive passing before the England man produced a swirling cross which Terry headed away just as Seamus Coleman arrived unnoticed ready to pounce. Then Leon Osman made Petr Cech stretch with a searing shot from the edge of the area.
At half time Jose Mourinho brought on Ramires for Oscar, determined to counter Everton’s midfield power. And his players, who he sent out onto the pitch well before their opponents, had clearly listened to his orders to attack with more conviction. A couple of corners in quick succession were scrambled away before Cahill was brought down on the edge of the area by Barry. As the crowd chanted Lampard’s name in anticipation of a trademark shot, Willian stepped in and put the ball well over Howard’s bar.
But Chelsea were, slowly, inevitably, gaining more of the territory. Lampard and the strong running Nemanja Matic began to attack the heart of the Everton defence. And Howard kept his side in the game with an athletic double save from Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic.
Then Mourinho brought Torres on for Willian. The crowd appeared to think this might be the breakthrough tactical switch, chanting the substitute’s name with an enthusiasm at variance with his performance this season. Indeed, the Spaniard’s principal contribution to memory was playing the fall guy, being haplessly dummied by a delicious Baines dragback. Certainly he would rather forget a couple of shots which both went so far wide they were practically in Earl’s Court.
His team-mates were not to be easily diverted, however. Throughout the last ten minutes, Chelsea pounded away for a winner. André Schürrle, on as substitute for Eto’o, put the ball over the bar; a Lampard free kick was scrambled clear; Ramires drilled a promising shot just wide. And then, just as Everton’s backline, bravely led by Jagielka, looked as if it might hold out, the old boys took control.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Cech 7; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 8; Matic 7, Lampard 7; Willian 6 (Torres 62), Oscar 5 (Ramires 46), Hazard 6; Eto’o 5 (Schürrle 69)
Subs Schwarzer, Cole, Salah, Ba.
Booked Oscar.

Everton (4-2-3-1) Howard 7; Coleman 6, Distin 7, Jagielka 8, Baines 7; Barry 7, McCarthy 7; Mirallas 5 (Deulofeu 75), Osman 6 (Barkley 63), Pienaar 6 (McGeady 80); Naismith 5
Subs Robles, Hibbert, Garbutt, Stones.
Booked Barry, Baines.

Referee Lee Probert (Gloucs)

=============

Times:

Chelsea 1 Everton 0
Chelsea’s happy ending could be the start of something special
   
Rory Smith 

It took 93 minutes, and even then it owed as much to accident as to design. For all the world this looked like the day when Jose Mourinho’s doom-mongering proved prescient, when Chelsea dropped two more points in the race for the Barclays Premier League title that nobody wants to win.
Then Tim Howard deflected Frank Lampard’s free kick into his own goal, and everything changed.
Chelsea – temporarily, anyway – extended their lead at the top of the table to four points. However Arsenal and Manchester City do this weekend, though, Mourinho’s side have done something more: they have turned the screw a little. They offered their rivals a glimmer of hope, then they snatched it away.
Quite how they did it left Everton, battling and brave, shaking their heads in bewildered disbelief. Lampard drove in a free-kick. John Terry raced on to it, but could not quite extend his leg enough. No matter; he had done enough to distract the diving Howard. The ball nicked off the American and into the net.
It was harsh on Roberto Martinez’s team, their bid for a Champions League place faltering, who had spent long periods as the better side and then, when their legs tired, defended so valiantly in the second half.
But it felt like a significant blow struck by their hosts. That knack of never giving up, of never accepting anything but victory, that has always characterised Mourinho’s teams? They have that. The rest of the league has been warned.
The hosts started with more purpose – a succession of corners, a snapshot from Willian, Eden Hazard as elusive as ever – but the better chances fell to Martinez’s side.
Leon Osman, teed up by Steven Naismith, drew a fine save from Petr Cech with a volley from the edge of the area, Gary Cahill threw himself in the way of Kevin Mirallas’s shot, Phil Jagielka headed wide. Chelsea, by contrast, required more than half an hour to draw Tim Howard into meaningful action, the American turning away an effort from Samuel Eto’o.
The overall impression, though, was of two teams entirely lacking in teeth. Everton had some excuse, in their defence: not only could Romelu Lukaku not feature against his parent club, but Martinez lost his replacement, the Ivorian Lacina Traore, to a hamstring injury in the warm-up. Naismith, scorer of the winning goal when these two teams met at Goodison Park, replaced him.
The Scot had scored four in his last five games – a record not to be sniffed at – but it is fair to say that Cahill and John Terry, restored to Mourinho’s side, would probably have preferred to find themselves confronted with his energy and industry, rather than deal with the raw physicality presented by Lukaku or Traore.
Chelsea, though, had a similar issue. Eto’o shows flashes, glimpses, of what he once was, but all too often they are followed immediately by a reminder of the remorseless march of time. With their attack blunted, the hosts looked to the midfield to provide a breakthrough.
First, Lampard was denied, superbly, first by Howard and then by Sylvain Distin, after Hazard had slipped him through. Then – after Cech had turned Osman’s shot, deflected off Mirallas’s heels, wide – came the best chance of them all, Howard flipping away Hazard’s effort. Eto’o headed the rebound to Ivanovic, beyond Distin, but Howard flew at the Serb, blocking his shot with his chest.
Mourinho, the greater burden on him to seek victory, sought a solution. On came Fernando Torres, then Andre Schurrle, for the subdued Willian and the ineffective Eto’o. As Everton tired, they retreated, ceding more and more territory, more and more possession.
The siege began, seven, eight Chelsea players camped out in the visitors’ half. The hosts peppered their penalty area with set-pieces. Ramires fizzed an effort wide. And then, three minutes into injury time, Lampard sent in his free-kick, the final throw of the dice, and Terry loomed over Howard, and Stamford Bridge rejoiced.
They had won it at the end, but this could just be the beginning.

=================



Mail:

Chelsea 1-0 Everton: Terry bundles home stoppage-time winner as Blues open up daylight at the top of the table

By Mark Ryan

Jose Mourinho admitted just how much Chelsea have missed John Terry — the man he calls his ‘voice’ on the field.
Terry was more than a voice, however, he was the defensive willpower, the driving force and, just before it was too late, the face-saving goalscorer, too.
Without a ‘brave’ winner from his returning captain deep into added time, Mourinho would have been left with some tough questions about his team’s inability to puncture Everton’s spirited resistance.
As it was, he still faced accusations — from his opposite number Roberto Martinez, who effectively claimed Mourinho’s players were masters in the dark art of pulling the wool over a referee’s eyes.
Martinez said that Chelsea had used ‘every trick in the book to get advantageous situations’, that ‘it wasn’t a free-kick at all’ for the last-gasp goal, because Ramires had ‘looked for contact’ with defender Phil Jagielka.
The Everton manager added that Chelsea’s 74-match unbeaten home run ‘must be down to more than football’ and that referees such as Lee Probert faced ‘an impossible job’.
It was scathing stuff, all delivered with a knowing smile. Yet for all that, Martinez still knew that Kevin Mirallas had squandered a glorious first-half chance and Leon Osman had twice gone close.
He also acknowledged that Tim Howard had needed to be at his best to make a double second-half save from Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic.
And luck had not been on Everton’s side, because striker Lacina Traore had pulled a hamstring during the warm-up. Given that understated tension, it was not Mourinho but Martinez who saluted Terry’s courage in the one moment that really mattered.
‘He throws himself [at the ball], he is brave and he gets the luck of the bounce,’ said Martinez of the free-kick.
The touch was so faint that BT Sport were reluctant to award the goal to anyone. Had Lampard’s  free-kick found its way through a crowded penalty area and over the line all on its own? Had Howard somehow turned the ball into his own net under all that pressure?
Terry cleared up the mystery. ‘Great ball from Lamps, I just managed to get a touch on it and I think it came off Tim Howard in the end as well,’ he said.
Ironic that after what amounted to a tactical chess match, it took an old-fashioned combination of Lampard and Terry to beat Everton. Chelsea showed how to win ugly.
And although he was never going to give all the credit to Terry, Mourinho at least acknowledged his captain’s influence.
‘In periods one team were dominant and the other had to play very well defensively. When you see a performance like the one from Cesar Azpilicueta, the only thing he didn’t do was put the ball under his arm like a rugby player and run into a wall.
‘It wasn’t John, it was the team. But with John, the team are more confident. When you have your captain, your voice, the stability, the complete understanding he has with Gary Cahill — we missed him. He didn’t play three matches and we clearly missed him.’
Yet Mourinho was willing to pat himself on the back, too.
 ‘At half-time with the score 0-0, normally my change would be a different one but I felt I had to control the game. My team are not one to score a lot of goals so if Everton had scored before us, maybe we weren’t in a position to score two. So I sent on Ramires and he gave much more consistency to our midfield.
‘I could not go with instinct and put on an attacking player. I had to be pragmatic and go with balance. We have some limitations, but the team wanted to win. Of course, when you score after more than 90 minutes, you can say luck is on the side of your team. The reality is that we chased a lot. I feel sorry for them because maybe a point for them was fair. But we tried to win, so in general maybe we deserved it.’
Chelsea had switched from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3. Oscar came off and Mourinho claimed later that he had started the match injured and had thought he could cope with the pain — but discovered it was not the case. So where was the injury?
‘That’s what the opponents want to know,’ smiled Mourinho.
Terry added: ‘We’re top of the League and sitting well. It’s down to the others to catch us.’
After all his efforts to take the pressure off Chelsea, Mourinho will wince when he hears that. Given his colossal display, however, Terry might just be forgiven this once.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech 7: Ivanovic 7, Terry 8, Cahill 8, Azpilicueta 7: Matic 7, Lampard 7: Willian 5 (Torres 62, 4.5), Hazard 5.5, Oscar 5 (Ramires 46, 6): Eto’o 6 (Schurrle 69, 6). Subs not used: Schwarzer, Cole, Salah, Ba.
Booked: Oscar.
Goal: Howard (OG 90+3mins)

EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Howard 7: Coleman 7, Jagielka 7, Distin 8.5, Baines 7.5: Barry 7, McCarthy 7: Osman 7.5 (Barkley 60, 5.5), Naismith 7, Pienaar 6.5 (McGeady 80, 5): Mirallas 7.5 (Deulofeu 75, 6). Subs not used: Robles, Hibbert, McGeady, Deulofeu, Garbutt, Stones.
Booked: Barry, Jagielka.

Attendance: 41,850

Referee: Lee Probert

Man of the Match: Sylvain Distin

Player ratings by DOMINIC KING at Stamford Bridge

=============

Mirror:

Chelsea 1-0 Everton: John Terry claims injury-time winner as Mourinho's men edge sleepy encounter

Chances were few and far between in west London, but the home side dug deep to keep up the pressure at the top of the Premier League
Roberto Martinez was implying the use of dark arts when he spoke of Chelsea’s ‘incredible know-how’, after this gut-wrenching defeat.
The Everton boss was referring to the home side’s know-how in winning free-kicks around the opposition area.
But the west Londoners have know-how in abundance.
They have a manager who knows how to win titles better than most. And they have Frank Lampard and John Terry, who know how to win titles for Jose Mourinho.
It was no coincidence that, with 93 minutes on the clock, and with Chelsea crying out for an unlikely winner to keep them on top of the table, that Lampard should whip in a killer ­free-kick and Terry should settle this tense affair with the slightest of touches.
The captain’s contact was almost inconsequential.
Indeed, the winner was credited to Lampard and as an own goal by Everton keeper Tim Howard before it was finally awarded to Terry some time after the final whistle.
Yet, Terry’s influence over the course of this campaign has been anything but inconsequential.
Used as a squad player by Rafa Benitez last season, with serious doubts over his fitness and his supposedly waning powers, Terry has been utterly immense for Mourinho all season.
Terry led Chelsea to ­back-to-back titles under the Special One in 2005 and 2006.
He knows Mourinho’s methods, his insistence on defensive organisation, on bravery and on workrate above all else. In fact, he epitomises these qualities.
Terry missed Chelsea’s previous three matches and they failed to win two of them.
“We missed him in those three games,” admitted Mourinho, whose silence on external matters – such as Arsene Wenger, Champions League red cards and Wayne Rooney – on Friday was duly noted by everyone.
“But it was not just about John Terry. All of our defence was outstanding. Cesar Azpilicueta did everything but pick up the ball like a rugby player and score a try.”
Azpilicueta has been absolutely exceptional too.
It takes a bold, and astute, manager to ditch England’s first-choice left-back Ashley Cole and play a specialist right-back in his place. But the Spaniard has been so good, Cole can have few complaints.
This was a match to admire defenders – many of them English, such as Terry, Cahill, Jagielka and Leighton Baines. As well as Gareth Barry in the defensive midfield role for the visitors.
It was a match to admire the defensively inclined because this was a case of two decent, well-organised sides who simply lacked a quality striker.
Samuel Eto’o and then Fernando Torres were ­hopeless for Chelsea.
Everton’s new frontman Lacina Traore didn’t make it to kick-off, crying off after “feeling his hamstring”.
Both clubs missed Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea, who had loaned out the Belgian, and Everton, who were without him through injury and ineligibility.
Everton were the better side for long periods.
Petr Cech tipped a Leon Osman long-ranger over the bar and Kevin Mirallas squandered two decent chances.
Chelsea lacked any cutting edge – Eto’o shot embarrassingly against his own heel and Lampard headed meekly wide at the back post.
Howard, though, had to get busy either side of the break, pushing away a shot on the turn from Eto’o – then denying Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic with a gob-smacking double save.
Everton rarely looked like conceding until the 93rd minute and the old one-two from the two golden oldies.
Ramires won a questionable free-kick from Phil Jagielka, Lampard whipped in the dead ball, before a touch from Terry beat Howard three yards out.
How Roy Hodgson would love to recreate Terry’s ­partnership with Gary Cahill at the World Cup – although Jagielka was in fine form too.
He knows Terry has ­considered making himself available and it would be difficult to imagine Hodgson turning him away.
For now, though, ­Mourinho can cherish sole custody of his skipper.
Terry is a man who knows how titles are won. They are won like this, in the 93rd minute, when lesser men would have expended all hope.

============

Star:

Chelsea 1 - Everton 0: Tim Howard's blunder hands the Blues victory

CHELSEA players hugged and kissed at the end of this game as if they had won the World Cup, not just sneaked a last-gasp added-time winner

By Tony Stenson

The relief was evident as they finally wore down an Everton side that had stood firm throughout.
It seemed like Jose Mourinho’s league leaders had run out of ideas and at one stage even tried two strikers.
And it was ironic that Everton’s two best players, defender Phil Jagielka and keeper Tim Howard, combined to fluff their lines late on.
Jagielka needlessly felled Chelsea substitute Ramires two minutes into added time and collected a booking.
Frank Lampard then whipped in the resulting free-kick, skipper John Terry lunged at it and the ball bounced off Howard’s body and into the net.
It had the Dubious Goals Committee scratching their heads until Terry claimed he got the most delicate touch.
So Chelsea stay top, to stretch boss Mourinho’s unbeaten home league record to 74 games – but it was hard work.
And how they could have desperately used a player who could come back to haunt them next week.
How the Blues could have done with old favourite Didier Drogba as they wasted chance after chance.
They go up against their former goal-scoring powerhouse when they face his latest club Galatasaray, in their Champions League knockout tie on Wednesday in Turkey.
Even Mourinho admitted: “It was a difficult match. Everton deserved something, they had quality and they pass the ball as well as anyone.
“I feel sorry for them because they put in a fine performance.
Everyone knows we have trouble scoring but they also know we never give up.
“We were storming the last five minutes. Some could say we were lucky but I think it was down to determination.
“Everton deserved something, they had quality and they pass the ball as well as anyone ,I feel sorry for them because they put in a fine performance”
Jose Mourinho
“Players like Cesar Azpilicueta did not deserve to lose. He did everything.
“The only thing missing was him picking up the ball and running over the line, like a rugby player.”
Everton manager Roberto Martinez bowed to Chelsea’s street-wise qualities.
He said: “They use every trick in the book to get free-kicks that are not free-kicks. I felt for the referee, he had a difficult job.
“Just look at the record Chelsea have at home, unbeaten in 74 matches under Jose, so it must happen frequently here.
“I am disappointed we lost but I thought we were magnificent, our discipline was fine and it shows how far we have come.
“We came to the league leaders and gave them a game.”
Chelsea, though, looked onedimensional at times.
Oscar was carrying an injury but convinced Mourinho he could play, although he looked lost for long periods and it was no surprise when he was substituted at half-time, while Eden Hazard continually ran down blind alleys.
No player stood back from tackles and there were a few juicy, although never malicious, clatterings with Jagielka superb in Everton’s defence and rarely putting a foot wrong.
Ramires replaced Oscar and immediately added bite to Chelsea’s midfield – possibly a bit too much at times – but his arrival sparked the Blues into life and only Howard and brave defending kept them at bay.
The American keeper produced two stunning late saves, first to deny Hazard and then a great effort to block Branislav Ivanovic’s power drive.
But then, at the death, he lost sight of both Terry and the ball to concede and spark the Chelsea celebrations.