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Chelsea saw off a spirited Sunderland side to claim a ninth win in 12 matches and keep their title bid on track thanks to John Terry’s towering header.

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Terry met Frank Lampard’s corner and forced the ball home at the near post for his first Blues goal in 19 months. But it was the Black Cats who had the best chances after the opening quarter.Blues keeper Carlo Cudicini made a superb stop to keep out Andy Reid’s curling free-kick and Kenwyne Jones missed a glorious close-range header. Sunderland will consider themselves very unlucky after a battling display which saw them force Chelsea on to the back foot for much of the second period. But their impressive second-half showing looked unlikely as Avram Grant’s side took control early on. After a decent spell of pressure, the visitors took the lead when Terry headed home Lampard’s vicious inswinging corner.