Love him or hate him (and we suspect most side with the latter option), Chelsea captain John Terry shrugged off his recent off-field problem with a stellar performance against the Gunners on Sunday.

Terry’s key moments arrived when the Blues’ skipper rose high to flick on a Malouda corner after just seven minutes which Drogba eventually turned over the line, and with a brilliant piece of leadership to orchestrate a Chelsea counter-attack from back to front after Terry won possession in his own penalty box.

Commenting on Terry’s performance on Match of the Day 2, Garth Crooks couldn’t resist dropping in a couple of blatant innuendos, referring to Terry’s ongoing “love-affair” with the Chelsea fans, before ending off his analysis referring to Terry’s “balls of steel.”

John Terry’s highlights against Arsenal can be seen here.

A spellbinding turn from the number 8 on the edge of his box that left two Getafe players dumbfounded!

As a bonus, Andres Iniesta’s match highlights against Getafe can be seen here.

What a horrific goal to concede.

Sunday night in Brazil saw Atletico Mineiro take on Ipatinga in the Brazilian Mineiro I league, and the match was made memorable by an incredible opening goal early in the second half.

Ipatinga striker Jaja picked up the ball 30-yards from goal and, after shifting the ball past his covering defender, the number 9 took a pot-shot at the target. In truth the shot was weak, barely reaching the six-yard box with any pace whatsoever, yet unbelievably the ball ended up in the net after an atrocious howler from home keeper Fabian Carini.

Jaja’s “nuts” of Carini to score one the funniest goals of the weekend can be seen here.

Another selection of 3rd eyes from the BBC can be seen here.

Although the Bulgarian atoned with a goal in the second half, Berba’s miss from three yards was horrific!

As a bonus, the commentary from the guys at Soccer Saturday on Berbatov’s miss can be seen here.

Comment & analysis round-up

Quote of the day: “John is the perfect captain for Chelsea. My captain has a fantastic attitude, he’s doing very well every game. For the team it is very important to have his leadership, he is always in control of the game, he has a very strong mentality. He’s working for his club and we’re happy. I’m not disappointed [that Terry was stripped of the England captaincy] because its not my decision, I don’t want to judge this decision. I knew that John met Capello [on Friday at Wembley] but I didn’t speak [with him] after that.” - Carlo Ancelotti.

Runner-up: “You have to congratulate Chelsea but we did not get a demonstration of football. But Chelsea were very efficient. We had mountains of possession and could not create it into a goal. We had 70 per cent of the possession. We were not running after the ball for 90 minutes. We were not in a position where we were dominated. We were always in an attacking position and had to risk things going wrong. Our spirit was great. I am completely happy with the performance and the spirit. We didn’t turn up against Manchester United. When we got into it [against Chelsea] we were completely dominant. They are very experienced at the back. They make the foul at the right part of the pitch, in the middle of the pitch, to stop a counter-attack. A little push, not enough to be a yellow card. They have a lot of tricks and are very experienced. They do that very well. They got one or two decisions from the referee.” - Arsene Wenger.

Today’s overview: You simply can’t keep John Terry out the news. For the second weekend running Mr. Chelsea forced the fourth estate to focus on his footballing abilities as the centre-half excelled in the 2-nil defeat of Arsenal on Sunday, while Didier Drogba also scalped the lion’s share of the plaudits.

But before we get to the football, the tabloids inject their daily dose of John Terry smut as The Mirror claim “sex cheat soccer star John Terry made an emotional phone call to his wife yesterday to deny having a one-night stand with topless model Orlaith McAllister. Terry, who paid Wayne Bridge’s ex Vanessa £800,000 not to sell her story, called his wife to reassure her there was no fling. Mum-of-two Orlaith is also said to be taking legal advice over the claims, and trying to contact Toni to deny sleeping with her husband.”

Martin Fricker then reports how “in an extraordinary outburst last night, John Terry’s mistress Vanessa Perroncel declared she still loves [Wayne Bridge] and wants him to take her back… Despite putting him through the ordeal, she hopes to get back with him for the sake of their three-year-old son.”

On Chelsea’s captain Richard Williams chugged “Terry played, as he always does, with a sort of controlled fury… Terry is a remarkable footballer whose leadership has been fundamental to Chelsea’s success over the past half-dozen seasons,” while Jeremy Wilson added “with important contributions in defence and attack, particularly his headed assist for Didier Drogba’s opening goal, Terry showed little sign of his football being affected by the loss of the England captaincy or a wave of allegations about his private life.”

Mark Fleming also sung the praises of JT. “Terry responded with just the kind of performance that had won their hearts all those years ago. He did not put a foot wrong, playing with calm authority and typical bravery.”

Oliver Kay commented “this felt like watching an old movie for the umpteenth time. It was a bit of a mish-mash, unsure at times whether it wanted to be art house or blockbuster, but, to the surprise of nobody except Arsene Wenger, it ended up as an action film, starring the irrepressible Didier Drogba… it was Drogba who proved the difference between these teams.”

The predictability of Chelsea’s victory was also highlighted by Henry Winter. “Such an educated Frenchman as Arsène Wenger must know the meaning of déjà vu. Once again, Arsenal failed to live with the physical demands of the game. Once again, they were caught out on the counter. Once again, they lacked a central attacking force. Unlike Chelsea. Once again, Didier Drogba destroyed Wenger’s side.”

Staying with Drogba, Matt Dickinson believes the Ivorian and Wayne Rooney are neck-and-neck to be crowned player of the year. “So who’s your money on? Which of the big boys is going to claim the honour? We are not talking Manchester United or Chelsea (although my pound is on the latter’s deeper squad prevailing), but Wayne Rooney or Didier Drogba for Footballer of the Year… It is Rooney and Drogba who lead the polls, as they do the goalscoring charts, by a fair distance.”

Almost seamlessly, Rob Kelly picks up the baton over in the Telegraph arguing “how Wenger could do with a talismanic striker in the mould of Drogba or Rooney. In the absence of the injured Robin van Persie, Arsenal have looked desperately short up front, both figuratively and literally. While the muscular Drogba stands at 6ft 3in and acts as the focal point of the Chelsea attack, Arsenal had to make do with the impish Andrei Arshavin, all 5ft 7in of him.”

For Kevin McCarra, Arsenal’s title challenge is as good as over. “Arsenal are being strangled by stereotype. Their familiar troubles against Chelsea and Manchester United were on display once more. The immediate impact of this match is to put the victors two points clear of the Old Trafford side but the impact on the visitors is more profound. They are nine points adrift and, barring unlikely triumph in the Champions League, this will be a fifth consecutive campaign without a trophy since Arsène Wenger’s team landed the 2005 FA Cup.”

Definitively, Glenn Moore barked “this defeat ends Arsenal’s championship challenge… The executioner was their old nemesis, Didier Drogba. Goals after eight and 23 minutes took his personal tally to 12 in 10 matches against Arsenal. Not bad for a player who, said Wenger after Drogba’s brace at the Emirates in November, ‘does not do very much.’”

The feeling that Arsenal will again win nothing this season left Paul Doyle seething with sarcastic comments. “Maybe Wenger is right and this side will grow into fearless conquerors. And maybe, if Robin van Persie were fit and the improving Nicklas Bendtner had been able to start, and no one else of importance were injured and all other players were on top form, Arsenal could have done more than mildly irritate United and Chelsea over the last week and would still be in the title race. And maybe Wenger’s financial prudence and devotion to playing one way will eventually pay off as other more profligate, less aesthetic clubs will meet their technical and monetary limits. He may be financial prudent but Wenger’s inflexibility makes him seem ever more like Wilkins Micawber, the chronically broke, eternally hopeful Charles Dickens character who was convinced his income would eventually soar because something would turn up.”

Tony Cascarino takes the classic knee-jerk position that the time may be right for Wenger to leave Arsenal. “Arsène Wenger is a genius. He has few peers in either the modern or monochrome era. But I’m sorry, if Arsenal don’t go close to winning the Champions League this season, some serious questions must be asked about his future at the club. Really, it has become that bad.”

Turning the Rio Ferdinand’s appointment as England captain, Oliver Kay takes time out to note “Rio is a torch-bearer for black footballers.” “In a season when rumblings have been heard about institutional racism in club boardrooms with regard to the small number of black managers employed, it seems like a cause for celebration — perhaps precisely because of the lack of attention it attracted.”

Martin Samuel then jumps into the discussion to chastise those claim Rio’s past should disqualify him from the England job. “Carry on like this and Ned Flanders or Champion the Wonder Horse would be considered too morally ambiguous to captain England. Yet surely if the desire is for footballers to be role models - and, considering his background, Ferdinand is in this way perhaps the most significant England captain of all time - they must be allowed to grow into the position. What chance does any player have if he is constantly forced to carry the baggage of youth? What chance has he if all mistakes, all indiscretions, every bump in the road and each moment he wished he could play over again, is brandished before him at every opportunity?”

Staying on an international footing, several scribes focus on England’s favourable 2012 European qualifying draw.

Matt Hughes picks up the consensus opinion that the draw could hardly have been much better for the Three Lions. “Capello got everything he asked for, with England being allotted one of the three groups of five and a trouble-free travel itinerary. A first visit to Montenegro is the farthest England will have to travel, with a short trip down the M4 to Cardiff the highlight of an uninspiring group.” Henry Winter simply added “this was a Euro 2012 draw that was just what the doctor ordered for the English patient.”

Being tall should come with a hazard warning.

Peter Walker flags up a new study with suggests that taller players are more likely to be penalised than shorter opponents. “A study of more than 100,000 fouls in domestic, European and international football showed that the greater the height difference between the players involved then the more chance the referee will adjudicate in favour of the shorter one.”

Staying with offbeat articles, Patrick Barclay wishes the Premier League could have the financial nous of the Bundesliga. “The annual report of the Bundesliga makes a reassuring read. The English elite division may be a den of profligacy, greed, debt and exploitation — and that is just to consider Manchester United and Portsmouth — but the Germans exude prudence and care. The total debt of all 36 clubs, including those of Bundesliga 2, is about £600 million, a figure that dismayed United supporters will recognise as being £125 million short of their club’s burden. Not that the Germans are especially proud of it. Their crowing is confined to a little table showing their admission prices to be the lowest among the top five divisions in Europe.”

Keeping with Manchester United’s debt problems, Joe Bernstein reveals that “Manchester United fans are planning a boycott of season tickets in the summer to try to force the Glazer family out of Old Trafford.  Thousands of supporters hope hitting the owners in the pocket will persuade them to leave after putting the club more than £700million in debt.”

We finish with the tabloid lies.

The Daily Mail get far too excited farting “Jose Mourinho has put Liverpool and Manchester City on red-alert after revealing he has a £5.5million buy-out clause in his Inter Milan contract.” Similarly, Anthony Kastrinikas attempts to stir up excitement bleating “Maroune Chamakh last night hinted he would choose a move to Arsenal over Liverpool.”