Chelsea captain John Terry was sent off for a wild challenge Monday as the Blues missed a chance to reclaim top spot in the Premier League after drawing 0-0 at Everton. Instead, Liverpool remains a point ahead in the standings thanks to its crosstown rival's resilience despite not fielding a recognized striker against Chelsea. Goodison Park had erupted in celebration in the 84th minute when Steven Pienaar bundled the ball into the net, but the Everton midfielder was adjudged to have been offside before stealing the ball out of goalkeeper Petr Cech's hands. The Blues looked unsettled after Terry was sent off for the second time this season - as he was in the 3-1 victory at Manchester City in September - for a one-footed diving lunge on Leon Osman in the 35th minute that will likely earn him a three-match ban. “My feeling at the time was that it was a reckless challenge,” Everton manager David Moyes said. Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari was fuming in the tunnel at halftime with broadcaster Setanta claiming he shouted: “Are you afraid?” at referee Phil Dowd - seemingly a reference to the jeers from the home crowd that followed the tackle. The draw, which owed much to Cech thwarting Everton's aerial threat in the second half, halted Chelsea's topflight record run of 11 consecutive away wins. Chelsea had threatened after just two minutes when Ashley Cole surged forward from a defense that has conceded just once away from Stamford Bridge to draw an acrobatic save from goalkeeper Tim Howard. Moyes was again forced to deploy Australia midfielder Tim Cahill up front, with strikers Victor Anichebe (back) and Louis Saha (hamstring) still sidelined. But Cech still had to deal with a low strike from Phil Neville, and Osman provided a couple of moments of danger by whipping in crosses to the far post that Cahill and Marouane Fellaini could only meet with weak headers. After Terry was sent off, teammate Michael Ballack rolled on the ground to make the most of Cahill catching his face. Both Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole were then cautioned for dissent as Everton's Mikel Arteta waited to take a free kick on the edge of the area. It was eventually blocked by the defensive wall and the ball broke to Joseph Yobo, but his shot was stopped by Cech's diving save. After his halftime protests in the tunnel, Scolari brought on Didier Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic for Nicolas Anelka and Joe Cole. Everton came out after the break determined to capitalize on its man advantage, with Tony Hibbert crossing for Fellaini to head straight at Cech. All the action was in the visitors' area, with Cech stopping Hibbert's attempt and tipping over Joleon Lescott's header from the resulting corner.
