Terry wins appeal to face Man Utd

Chelsea captain John Terry has been cleared to play against Manchester United on Sunday after his appeal against a red card proved successful.

Terry was sent off for a foul on Manchester City striker Jo, but a Football Association hearing upheld Chelsea's claim of wrongful dismissal.

He received a straight red from Mark Halsey, with the referee deeming the incident to be serious foul play.

The England skipper had been set to miss three games.

Had the ban been enforced, Terry would have missed Sunday's crucial Premier League clash with champions United, as well as the Carling Cup tie against Portsmouth on 24 September and the league encounter with Stoke three days later.

The foul on Jo occurred inside the centre circle, with Terry's centre-back partner Ricardo Carvalho covering the play and full-back Jose Bosingwa also sprinting back to defend.

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Chelsea's on-field complaints were initially based on the fact that Terry was not the last defender.

But Halsey's decision to issue a red card for serious foul play rather than a professional foul meant the position on the pitch and the presence of other players were not relevant.

Serious foul play is classed as when a player "uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball when it is play".

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