John Terry could lose the England captaincy following the revelations about an affair with Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend

On the pitch, John Terry is the embodiment of the power, passion and dedication that marks out any great leader. Throughout his career at Chelsea and for England, the 29-year-old has put his body on the line. Managers across the world would kill to have some like Terry in their team.

There is no doubt that he is a fantastic player, but as a man he leaves a lot to be desired.

Normally I am ready to overlook a player’s indiscretions off the field if he performs on it.

Ashley Cole is a case in point. His acrimonious falling out with Arsenal is well-documented. He cheated on his wife Cheryl (absolute madness if you ask me) and on Friday he was fined £1,000 and banned from driving for four months after being caught doing 104mph in a 50 zone.

On the field though, he is a brilliant left back, one of the best in the world.

But Terry is different. He is the leader of his country. He should be held up to a much higher standard. He should be an example for others to follow.

If the papers are to be believed, he didn’t just have an affair with anybody - he slept with his ex-team mate’s girlfriend, got her pregnant and then arranged for an abortion.

When Wayne Bridge left Chelsea last January for Manchester City – a club Terry nearly joined in the summer - the Chelsea skipper said: “He’ll be missed and I’m still in shock a little bit, because it’s a shame to see one of the lads go who you have grown up with and been with a long time. I’m disappointed but for him it was the right decision. He was great to have around the place.”

The pair were clearly good friends.

Bridge is said to be ‘in bits’ after finding out about the affair, and who can blame him? How would you feel if someone you thought was one of your best friends was sleeping with your girlfriend?

Of course everyone makes mistakes, no one is perfect. The problem is, this is not an isolated incident. Terry has done this before. Most people learn from their mistakes. Terry hasn’t. In 2005 he said: “I’ve mis-behaved and slept with girls behind her [wife Toni Terry’s] back. I’m not going to cheat on her ever again and I want to marry her more than anything.”

The affair could affect dressing room unity just four months before the start of the World Cup.

Noises coming out of the Football Association’s headquarters is that the decision will ultimately rest with manager Fabio Capello. He will have to decide how damaging this affair is. Should what a player gets up to in his private life affect his profession? Such a judgement is not black and white. This fling blurs the distinctions between the two.

Losing the captaincy would be a crushing blow to Terry. He clearly wears it with pride. Sympathy would not be forthcoming, because, in the end, he would have no one to blame but himself.

Ashley Cole celebrates his goal, which set Chelsea on their way to a 3-0 win. Photo from the Daily Telegraph

Recent clashes between these two London rivals have been the stage for many Chelsea defenders to make themselves unlikely heroes: Juliano Belletti scored has scored twice against Spurs and both William Gallas and Ricardo Carvalho have hit memorable winning goals.

Yesterday Ashley Cole added his name to that list. The left back stooped low to head beyond Carlo Cudicini just past the half hour mark to set Carlo Ancelotti’s side on their way to a win that keeps them top of the Premier League and maintains their 100% start to the season.

But to pretend this was all plain sailing for the home side would be wrong. Harry Redknapp’s team looked the most likely to take the lead before Cole scored, and Robbie Keane was adamant he had won a penalty minutes into the second half which could have changed the complexion of the game.

Jose Bosingwa came the closest of any Chelsea player to opening the scoring with seven minutes on the clock, hitting the angle between post and bar, but apart from that it was Spurs who could lay claim to creating the best chances.

Wilson Palacios put Jermain Defoe through for the away side’s first opportunity, but the England striker’s shot was blocked by Cech. Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas also came close to finding the net – demonstrating why Spurs had a 100% record before last weekend’s meeting with Manchester United.

Then with just over 30 minutes gone Chelsea took the lead. Those inside Stamford Bridge could hardly believe the sight of Cole wheeling away in celebration, having headed in from Didier Drogba’s cross. The former Arsenal man has now scored in consecutive league games.

Drogba had the last chance of the first half, firing a free kick into the Spurs wall.

Two minutes into the second period it should have been 2-0, Drogba pulled the ball back for Lampard in the penalty area and everyone expected the net to bulge. However, the usually clinical midfielder shot wide when many would have put money on him scoring.

Ledley King – who had gone down injured in the course of the move – was forced off, and Alan Hutton replaced him.

The game then turned decisively on 54 minutes. Robbie Keane raced into the box and appeared to be caught by Carvalho but no penalty was given. The striker was incredulous, running to remonstrate with referee Howard Webb. A spot kick could have given Spurs a way back into the game, but minutes later Chelsea doubled their lead.

Didier Drogba powers home Chelsea's third. Photo from the official Chelsea web site.

Lampard turned provider after Cudicini had parried Drogba’s shot, and Michael Ballack was on hand to put the ball into the net.

Five minutes later it was three. Cole played a high ball over the top and Drogba held off Vedran Corluka and bore down on goal. The Croatia defender attempted to nick the ball away from the Ivorian, but in doing so only diverted the ball past his keeper, and Drogba smashed the ball in for good measure.

Chelsea could have had a penalty of their own soon afterwards. The ball struck Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s arm from a Lampard free kick, but it wasn’t spotted by Howard Webb.

Substitute Peter Crouch came close to scoring for Tottenham, sending a shot from 25 yards out not far over the bar.

John Obi Mikel – who replaced Ballack – sent in a volley that squirmed under Cudicini and was then pushed round the post by the Italian stopper.

An injury apiece on either side then broke up the play and gave everyone a chance to catch their breath. First Sebastian Bassong fell awkwardly when challenging with Nicolas Anelka, and then Drogba went down after slicing a shot.

His replacement, Salomon Kalou, struck the post as eight minutes of injury time were signaled. He was joined up top by 18-year-old Fabio Borini, who made his first team debut.

This is the club’s 11th successive league win. Life continues to be good for Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea.

For those inside Stamford Bridge it seemed reminiscent of many a home game under Luiz Felipe Scolari last season. The Blues were dominating possession and creating plenty of chances, but they just couldn’t put the ball into the net.

Nicolas Anelka wasted a golden opportunity for the home side after just six minutes when he was clean through on goal after dispossessing Andre Bikey. The Frenchman tried to go around Jensen but the Burnley keeper was able to grab the ball.

But Burnley were far from overawed, and should have taken a shock lead three minutes later. Frank Lampard was careless in possession, presenting the ball to Tyrone Mears, who fed the ball to Martin Paterson in acres of space. But the midfielder only managed to screw his shot wide of Petr Cech’s right hand post.

With the amount of chances Chelsea were creating, it seemed a question of when they would score, not if. Jensen however, had other ideas, keeping out shots from Michael Ballack, John Terry and Lampard.

The crowd began to voice their frustration, but a trio of goals seven minutes either side of half time had them grinning from ear to ear. Anelka gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side the lead, sliding in to convert a Didier Drogba cross.

Lampard stood the ball up for Ballack to nod home the second, and the England midfielder was involved in Chelsea’s third, playing a one two with left back Ashley Cole, who volleyed a fantastic finish past Jensen for only his third goal in Chelsea colours.

A goal fest seemed on the cards. Anelka almost added a fourth but he hit the bar from Ballack’s pass.

The tempo dropped noticeably after that flurry of goal mouth action, with Burnley seemingly resigned to their fate and Chelsea relaxed, safe in the knowledge that three points had been secured.

Michael Essien did his best to add his name to the scoresheet, first calling Jensen into action in the 66th minute and then again with 14 minutes left on the clock.

Substitute Salomon Kalou was inches away from scoring his first goal of the season as the game edged towards stoppage time, but his poked shot was cleared off the line by Mears with Jensen stranded.

The 100% start to the season continues for Ancelotti’s men and they go top of the Premier League on goal difference. Burnley, meanwhile, have been brought back down to Earth after shock wins over Manchester United and Everton.