The club's top brass defended the decision to retain Terry as captain in the build-up to Saturday's derby - the first of four games the defender will miss through suspension after the FA found him guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand of Queens Park Rangers.
By the end of a pulsating clash in North London the talk was not of Terry but of Chelsea's rapid progress under Roberto Di Matteo, the man who replaced Andre Villas-Boas as coach.
After Villas-Boas's exit in March, Di Matteo won the FA Cup and the Champions League and there are clear signs the Italian is building a side capable of mounting a Premier League title challenge this season.
Even more so as the centre-half's replacement, Gary Cahill, scored a stunning volley to put Chelsea in front.
"It's been tough for us as a club and as a team to deal with all these issues but today we showed we can channel all our energies towards the football which is our priority," said Di Matteo who exchanged a warm embrace with Villas-Boas after the game.
Cahill's 17th-minute strike put Chelsea in control but goals from William Gallas and Jermain Defoe threatened to end the West London club's unbeaten start to the season.
Mata's class then shone through as he scored twice in quick succession midway through the second half before setting up substitute Daniel Sturridge for an easy tap-in late on.
"Our philosophy is to play in a certain way because we believe that, with the players we have, that's the way to win games," Di Matteo told reporters, alluding to his team's stylish approach.
"We have a good squad which I'm happy with and every time a player comes in they have performed well," he said.
"We have a good base and are able to make two or three changes without noticing too much.
"It's too early to talk [about the title], there are still 30 games to play. This result makes us a team who are strong and makes our start even better but you have to wait until the Christmas period
