John Terry fractured his cheekbone after being elbowed by Fulham’s Clint Dempsey on Saturday

London: England skipper John Terry went off with a depressed fracture of his cheekbone, Didier Drogba was sent off and Chelsea were booed off when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham in the west London derby at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Terry went off after being elbowed in the face by Fulham striker Clint Dempsey as both rose for a ball after three minutes of the Premier League match.

Chelsea communications director Simon Greenberg later said the time of his operation had been changed from Saturday to Sunday.

Terry is now doubtful for England’s next two Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia next month.

Avram Grant’s first match as coach of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge since Jose Mourinho left last week was a subdued affair for the home crowd who also booed off Andriy Shevchenko, substituted after 54 minutes on his 31st birthday.

Chelsea’s woes were compounded when African Footballer of the Year and last season’s top scorer Didier Drogba got his marching orders for dissent and a reckless high tackle on the day he returned after four matches out injured.

Across London Arsenal won their eighth successive match in all competitions with a 1-0 win at West Ham United to maintain their lead at the top of the table. Robin Van Persie scored the only goal after 13 minutes.

Manchester City moved into second place, albeit for a few hours, with a 3-1 home win over Newcastle United, while Manchester United beat Birmingham City via a Cristiano Ronaldo goal. (Reuters)