• 29-year-old shows signs of improvement after day of rest
• Defender thanks fans for support after ‘emotional’ day

Chelsea expect John Terry to be fit for their Premier League game at Everton on Wednesday, with the defender having publicly thanked the London club’s supporters for the reception he received at Stamford Bridge yesterday after an agonising week which saw him stripped of the England captaincy.

Terry, who contacted the new national captain, Rio Ferdinand, over the weekend to reaffirm his commitment, suffered a dead leg during the 2-0 victory over Arsène Wenger’s side and required heavy strapping on his left thigh to ensure he could complete the 90 minutes.

The defender did not train with the first-team at Cobham today but, with the limb having benefited from rest, the bruising is showing signs of improvement. Carlo Ancelotti expects his captain to train fully tomorrow ahead of the trip to Merseyside, where Chelsea hope to maintain their lead at the top of the table.

The 29-year-old, clearly emotional, had ended the game at the weekend by saluting each stand in turn at Stamford Bridge, flinging his shirt into the crowd as a show of thanks for the support he had received after a week marred by allegations over his private life culminated in Friday’s curt meeting with Fabio Capello, when he was sacked as England captain.

“On a personal note, I’d like to thank every single fan,” Terry told Chelsea TV. “It’s been a really emotional day for me, and the way the fans have been with me for the last two weeks … Honestly, it’s incredible. I didn’t expect that today. I go away full of delight and I’d like to thank every single fan for the way they treated me.”

Terry had been unflappable at the heart of Chelsea’s defence and providing the flicked header which presented Didier Drogba with the first of his two goals. While Arsenal dominated possession for long periods, the visitors rarely threatened to force their way back into the contest, with Chelsea maintaining their impressive defensive record at Stamford Bridge, where they have conceded only eight goals in 13 games.

“As the manager said, we needed to defend well and I thought Big Pete [Cech] was brilliant,” he added. “He came for crosses, made a great save from [Nicklas] Bendtner in the second half and just scooped it away. Ashley [Cole] was brilliant, Riccy [Carvalho], [Branislav] Ivanovic brilliant, really solid, but then going forward we were great and caught them a few times on the counter-attack. So, overall, a great performance, and I mean it from my heart, I’d like to thank everyone for today. Thank you.”

The defender could still be rested for the visit of Cardiff City in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday and, instead, fly to Dubai to see his wife, Toni Poole, and their three-year-old twins. Terry is anxious to speak with his partner following allegations of an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of his England and former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.

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• ‘If he needs a holiday I will give him a holiday’
• ‘He continues to play a very good game’

Carlo Ancelotti has cleared the way for John Terry to take a break from playing for Chelsea by saying that if “he needs to have a holiday I will give him holiday”, following allegations about his captain’s private life.

Ancelotti insisted after Chelsea dropped two points in the title race by drawing 1-1 at Hull City last night that the furore surrounding Terry had not become a distraction for his team. But he left open the possibility of the defender flying to Dubai in 10 days’ time and missing the FA Cup fifth-round tie against Cardiff City to visit his wife, Toni.

She is in the Gulf state reportedly considering whether to end the marriage following allegations that her husband had an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of the England left-back Wayne Bridge. Terry’s position as England captain is in the balance because of the matter.

Ancelotti said: “This is an issue for me and John Terry; it’s not your problem. You will see the line-up for Cardiff. If he needs to have a holiday I will give him a holiday. If he doesn’t need a holiday he will play against Cardiff.” It is understood that Terry, who was booed by Hull fans whenever he touched the ball last night, does wish to make the trip but he is conscious that it is his manager’s decision.

Terry should discover whether he will retain the England captaincy when meeting Capello on Friday. Ancelotti refused to reveal whether he has had a specific discussion with Terry regarding the matter. “No. I don’t like to speak about this,” he said. “This is not a question that I want to speak [about] here.”

Despite what was an uneven performance from his team, which included his captain being partly at fault for Steven Mouyokolo’s 30th-minute opener from a corner, Ancelotti denied the affair was affecting his players, who equalised through Didier Drogba shortly before half-time but wasted the chance to move four points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.

He said: “No, I don’t think so because the atmosphere is the same, it’s not changed. Nothing can disturb our concentration – the Chelsea team is focused [for] every game. Sometimes we play good football and sometimes we have more difficulty but the concentration is always on top.

“For him [Terry] nothing changed – he continues to play a very good game, every game he is living a very good moment, he is doing every game the best.”

Chelsea’s next game is Sunday’s visit to Stamford Bridge by Arsenal. Ancelotti knows that if Manchester United can defeat struggling Portsmouth, who are bottom, the previous day, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team will lead by a point. That will place the emphasis back on Chelsea to beat Arsenal, who are desperate for a win to maintain their own title challenge.

Ancelotti, though, denied the draw at the KC Stadium had been two points dropped. “I think we are in a very good position now,” he said. “We’re in the top [of the league], we know very well that Manchester is a very good opponent [and] it will be a long race until the end of the season. We weren’t at our best [tonight] but it was a tough game.

“I think Hull played a very good game, with quality. It wasn’t our best but I think it is a good result, we don’t have to be disappointed because sometimes this can happen. We have two points [lead] at the top of the table. So we have to look forward.”

Drogba marked his return following his participation for Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations with a goal from a free-kick. “It is an important moment and we need to have all the players in condition until the end of the season,” added Ancelotti. “Now every game is very, very important. Every game can decide the future of the season.”

Hull’s manager, Phil Brown, was happy with a valuable point as he fights to avoid relegation. He said: “I was disappointed with the goal we conceded. But we played some great football too, we put them under pressure — no doubt. We fully deserved a point and maybe all three.”

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