Draped over a hoarding at the Matthew Harding end is a large banner which reads: JT. Captain. Leader. Legend.

If any stranger to Stamford Bridge wanted an explanation as to why John Terry warrants such acclaim, then they just had to see the way he lifted his team, as well as the crowd, out of a malaise which was threatening to cost them more ground in the title race.

The first-half had been bad, to say the least, and the opening stages of the second-half weren't lookinng too promising either.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's half-time team talk had clearly failed to make an impact as Chelsea continued to struggle to break the deadlock.

The crowd were silent -apart from the groans that greeted misplaced passes - and the men in blue seemed resigned to dropping more points at home. But then Terry decided to take matters into his own hands and showed the kind of determination that Chelsea will need if they are to finish the campaign on top. In the 54th minute he picked the ball up in his own half and went on a charging run past a number of Middlesbrough defenders into the penalty area.

He showed more desire, more skill, more fight than most of the attacking players in front of him had achieved in the previous 53 minutes. In the end, it only won Chelsea a corner, but it had the desired effect, rejuvenating the crowd and his team-mates.

Salomon Kalou almost scored from the set piece that followed and, just two minutes later, he finally found a way past Ross Turnbull in the Middlesbrough goal.

With Chelsea in front, Terry spent the rest of the game concentrating on what he is best known for - stopping the opposition - but maybe he should consider charging forward more often.

Simon Johnson