Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard insists captain John Terry should not take any flak for his red card against Tottenham.

The defender has been heavily criticised for his dismissal in the defeat at White Hart Lane and manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted his skipper may have 'lost control'. The centre-back's performance against Tottenham added to questions about the quality of his displays, while he was stripped of his country's captaincy in the wake of the Wayne Bridge saga earlier in the campaign.

Lampard, though, insists Terry's determination is what makes him a great leader, saying: "JT wants to win and he's a fantastic captain.

"For the first yellow I thought he got a slight touch on the ball but when he went into that second tackle, you knew the minute the tackle went in he was going to get sent off. When you're playing in such circumstances sometimes these things happen."

The England midfielder said: "What happened on Saturday was disappointing, especially with Manchester United's result - not even people who were free betting guessed that result! When they scored in the last minute it was hard. If they had drawn the game it would have left us in a very healthy position but now it's tighter."