Chelsea and John Terry are a fading force, but had enough fight and desire to deny Harry Kane and Tottenham title hopes in toxic encounter

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Simon Johnson2 May 2016

The battle between Harry Kane and John Terry at Stamford Bridge tonight looked like symbolising just why we could now be witnessing a change of power between Tottenham and Chelsea.

Terry was in the blue corner for perhaps one last time against Spurs having worked tirelessly to recover from a hamstring and Achilles problem which caused him to miss 10 of the last 12 games.

The 35-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and with little sign of an extension being offered.

He has never been on the losing side to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge - no Chelsea player has in the last 26 years.

But there was no way he was going to miss out on a chance to defend the record, no matter how much it hurt.

In his programme notes, Terry spelled it out to the home supporters that the players were all aware of how much beating their rivals meant to them.

After just 22 seconds of this toxic encounter, he showed his actions speak just as loud as his words as Heung-Min Song felt the ferocity of a fierce, but fair, tackle.

The home crowd were buoyed by his presence for sure - his name was sung regularly with a reference to the 2010 Double in particular.

But Father Time catches up with the best of players and it doesn't matter how willing the mind is, if the body doesn't quite work the way it used to.

It has been well documented how Terry is the last graduate of Chelsea's Academy that has become a regular in the first team.

And what a career it's been. Trophies galore including four Premier Leagues and a Champions League in 2012.

But Terry also now represents what Chelsea have become this season - a fading force.

And nothing exposed that more than the presence of Tottenham's own exciting Academy graduate in Kane.

The England international has led many defenders a merry dance this season, both for club and country.

He is now one of the most feared strikers in Europe and regularly shines on the big occasion.

With such an exciting talisman up front, who has remarkably maintained injury-free all season-Mauricio Pochettino's have been able to sustain a title challenge for the first time in years.

And as Terry tried to play him offside in the first half, Kane waltzed through to put the visitors in front.

Terry was also nowhere to be seen at Son made it two before the break and it appeared his farewell to this Derby would be a painful one.

But you can bet he was spelling out to his team-mates more than anyone at half-time that a vast improvement was required and so it proved.

Chelsea played with the fight and desire Terry has played throughout his career, although it took centre half partner Gary Cahill to get them back into the game.

As both sides lost their cool, Terry was in the thick of it, sometimes with a positive effect, others not so much.

Kane also showed similar fire in his belly, becoming one of a profusion of players getting into Mark Clattenburg's book.

Chelsea just managed to keep their unbeaten record in tact but still the point remains that Kane and Tottenham have a bright future.

Terry's and Chelsea's is much more uncertain than that.

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