CARDIFF - Chelsea captain John Terry returned to be with his celebrating teammates less than two hours after being stretchered off during the Blues' 2-1 League Cup final win against Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium here Sunday.

Terry sustained a sickening injury when he was accidentally kicked in the face by Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby as he tried to head towards goal 15 minutes after half-time.

Chelsea's captain John Terry lies on the ground after he was accidentally kicked in the face during a match against Arsenal in the English League Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007. [AP]

The England defender's neck was put in a brace as he was taken from the field, on a stretcher and wearing an oxygen mask, to a Cardiff hospital.

But by 6pm local time (1800GMT) he had returned to the stadium, still in his kit, to be with his team-mates.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said Terry had been briefly unconscious while he was treated on the pitch.

"He was unconscious, that was the major problem. He was completely out of the game immediately," Mourinho explained.

"He recovered on the pitch and I gave him some words. From the way he reacted I knew he could understand.

"I have spoken with his agent and he is okay. He knows the result and everything is fine.

"It was terrible but everything happens to us this season. I am getting used to it. I am on the bench always waiting for something."

Terry had only been declared fit to play after making a quicker than expected recovery from an ankle injury he had suffered against Porto in Wednesday's Champions League draw.

Chelsea vice-captain Frank Lampard dedicated the trophy to his stricken colleague.

"I was devastated," the England midfielder said.

"As soon as he went down you could see it was bad. We were desperate to win it for him and if it's possible, we will take the trophy to him.

"He's a great captain."

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, who suffered a fractured skull earlier this season at Reading, said of Terry's injury: "I think it's one of the worst moments I have experienced on the pitch because I can't remember my injury.

"But you saw the reaction of the players. For the first three or four minutes after the injury, I had other emotions.

"I hope he will be all right. I hope it's the last injury he has."

Terry, who required several minutes of on-field treatment, left the pitch with more than half-an-hour of the match remaining and Cech added: "There were still a lot of minutes to play. It's always a big blow when you see an injury like this, but we wanted to win the Cup."

Victory meant Chelsea had completed the first leg of a potential 'quadruple' that could also feature the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League.

Cech, asked if Chelsea could win four trophies in a season, replied: "I hope so. There are another three competitions we are involved in - we will try to do our best."