Wayne Bridge snubbed John Terry's handshake at Stamford Bridge yesterday before the full-back's Manchester City team dealt a blow to Chelsea's title challenge with a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge.
All eyes were on the ritual pre-match handshake after the revelations that Terry, a former teammate of Bridge, had had an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of the defender's young son.
The incident lead Bridge to quit the England international team on Thursday, for whom Terry is a first-choice. Therefore, it was no surprise that Bridge refused to shake his former teammate's hand.
The big shock, however, was in the scoreline, as Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy both scored twice against the London club, who had Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack sent off, ending their unbeaten home record and inflicting their biggest defeat at Stamford Bridge since 2002.
After the match, Bellamy weighed in to support his teammate.
"I know what JT is like," he told Sky Sports. "Nothing surprises me about it. I think everybody in football knows what the guy is like, but that's off the field. On it he's an outstanding player."
A minor injury meant Bridge could not complete the full 90 minutes but it allowed him to acknowledge the support he received from the City fans, whose behaviour contrasted sharply with the booing of their Chelsea counterparts every time Bridge had the ball.
By the end, those same fans had far more to occupy their minds after Chelsea, whose goals were scored by Frank Lampard, had missed the chance to go four points ahead of title rivals Manchester United at the top of the table.
"It was not a good day," said Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager. "The only good thing from today is that we still have one point more than Manchester United.
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
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