Chelsea's Terry criminally denies Everton as Martinez blames 'diabolical' official

JOHN Terry capped an amazing game with a controversial equaliser in the EIGHTH minute of added time.

 



Chelsea's Terry criminally denies Everton as Martinez blames 'diabolical' official



 

Roberto Martinez followed that with what was, by his usually polite standards, an equally amazing attack on referee Michael Jones.

TV replays - and Chelsea's Guus Hiddink - confirmed the Everton boss's verdict that Terry's point saver - after seven minutes and 53 seconds - was yards offside.

Enough, in fact, to spark an uncharacteristic outburst in which the Spaniard branded Mr Jones the footballing equivalent of a Jonah!

Martinez said: "I can speak about the character, scoring three goals away from home. But then there's the feeling of dropping two points after playing seven minutes of injury time and the last action happens 53 seconds over, and Terry is two yards offside.

"It was a diabolical and heartbreaking decision that has cost us two points. The players are feeling really down. Those points were taken away from us."

 

Hiddink didn't argue. He was just happy to get a point and added: "Roberto is quite right, why should I deny it? John was offside even though he made a beautiful goal."

But whatever the whys and wherefores this really was the archetypal game of two halves.

Watching England manager Roy Hodgson had little to write home about at the end of the first one, but what happened five minutes into the second sparked a previously run of the mill affair into a six goal second half thriller.

Everton, as they had been in the first period, were more threatening and got the reward that deserved, even if their luck did change temporarily in the process.

Chelsea were caught out, Leighton Baines had the freedom of the area to get a cross in, and the unfortunate Terry bundled the ball into his own net as he tried to get back.

 

That was the signal for a fired up Everton to turn up the heat - and Chelsea wilted.

Ross Barkley hit the post before Kevin Mirallas netted a superb second goal just five minutes after the first one.

Hodgson must have been impressed with the part Leighton Baines played in both of them - as well the contributions of Barkley in midfield and John Stones and Phil Jagielka  at the back.

Up until the 63rd minute, that is, when Chelsea launched a devastating two goals in two minutes comeback that had owner Roman Abramovich on his feet leading the applause that greeted it.

Jagielka blotted his previously impressive copybook for Chelsea's first goal in a misunderstanding with keeper Tim Howard that saw them collide and leave Diego Costa - who suffered a shin injury later - with an empty net to plonk the ball in.

 

No 2 was just like the Chelsea of old.

A super one two between Costa and Cesc Fabregas ended with CF firing home an equaliser that looked a long way off minutes earlier.

Everton's luck then went from bad to worse as Bryan Oviedo was stretchered off and Mirallas was denied a second goal by Courtois.

But they must have thought they had won it when substitute Ramiro Funes Mori got on the end of a 90th minute cross fromGerard Deulofeu to regain the lead and launch 60 seconds of celebrations that could have been the reason the ref added an extra minute onto the seven he ruled anyway.

What happened in those extra minutes was, however, sheer Roy of the Rovers stuff.

 

John Terry celebrates snatching a point against Everton

 

Like so many times before Terry was Chelsea's hero, grabbing an astonishing equaliser at the very end of a barnstorming second half.

There was only one word to describe it all: Phew!

Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic (Oscar 54); Willian, Fabregas, Pedro (Kenedy 65) Costa (Remy 80)

Everton: Howard; Oviedo (Funes Mori 70), Stones, Jagielka, Baines; Besic, Barry; Lennon (Deulifeu 80),Barkley (Pienaar 80), Mirallas; Lukaku.

Man Of Match: John Terry. What an inspiration, what a pity he's turned his back on England.

Referee: Michael Jones.