Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2:
He pumped his fist in that familiar, aggressive fashion as he ran towards the Chelsea fans before applauding them as he received their unmitigated praise.
But the show didn't end there. Off came the boots , as the captain made his way into the crowd, climbing over the hoardings and handing his footwear to two ecstatic boys in the front row.
John Terry was among friends, perhaps a rare feeling this week having been fined and banned by an FA disciplinary hearing for using racist language.
Winner: Juan Mata's free kick was enough to help Chelsea to victory over Arsenal at the Emirates
Match facts
Arsenal: Mannone; Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Diaby (Oxlade Chamberlain 17) Arteta, Ramsey (Walcott 66); Cazorla, Gervinho, Podolski (Giroud 66).
Subs not used: Martinez, Djourou, Santos, Mertesacker
Goal: Gervinho 42
Booked: Vermaelen, Ramsey
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz (Cahill 80), Terry, Cole; Ramires, Mikel; Hazard, Oscar (Moses 72) Mata (Bertrand 84); Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, Azpilicueta, Romeu, Lampard
Goals: Torres 20, Mata 52
Booked: Luiz, Oscar
Attendance: 60,101
Ref: Martin Atkinson
Eventually he had to turn back to reality, making his way to the tunnel, passing through hostile territory to the by now familiar chants of 'scum, scum,' although only from a handful of fans.
And Terry could endure that easily enough. As is so often the case, he had won his own victory.
His team had scored an important win and he had played well. For when his career comes to an end, he will not measure it in friendly testimonials from commentators: league titles, FA Cup wins, will dominate.
Possibly that Champions League medal will merit a mention, though the fact he did not play might be glossed over.
But Terry, for now, marches on, unapologetic, leading his Chelsea team with him. Chelsea remain unbeaten, top of the table and already seven points clear of Arsenal.
They are by no means flawless but there is a growing sense of cohesion about the club.
Again they did without Frank Lampard, fielding Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard.
Perhaps unsurprisingly against a higher quality team they fared better than they did against Stoke a week before, none more so than Mata, the instigator of this victory.
Opener: Fernando Torres connects with Juan Mata's cross to put Chelsea in front against Arsenal
Ramires, too, was excellent. But Saturday's win was a mix of the old Chelsea and the new. There were neat dummies and the trademark reverse flick from behind the legs from Hazard and there were Mata and Fernando Torres, combining with Oscar in a more Latin link.
But there was also Terry's old Chelsea, the ugly, defiant one that refuses to let teams pass.
For when Arsene Wenger spoke of a lack of 'personality and authority' in his Arsenal team, you could not but think of Terry.
His human deficiencies are manifest, just as his footballing qualities are obvious. No Chelsea team under his direction would have conceded as Arsenal did on Saturday.
Roberto Di Matteo said he had considered resting Terry amid the controversy, but common sense prevailed. 'It was the right choice to pick him,' said the Chelsea boss. 'He showed his leadership qualities.'
As for Wenger, he was clearly infuriated. Had his team failed a test of their title credentials? 'Completely, yes,' he said. 'We gave the game away. They had three shots on target, scored two goals from two soft set-pieces.
Off and running: Torres celebrates with John Terry after putting Chelsea in front
'Defensively we were just not at the level you have to be in a big game like that. That's where we were punished.
'For the rest we showed quality, spirit, but we have to show more personality and authority on the goals we conceded.
'We didn't attack the ball, not on the first or the second goal. The difference between Chelsea and us on set-pieces in the air was obvious.
'When you play at home you do not expect to concede two set-pieces. It puts us every time on the back foot. We played two big games in one week and had to come back. It's difficult.
'Every time you are one goal down in a big game you have a 65 per cent chance of losing. We came back last week. We came back today - but straightaway give another goal away.
'It's impossible because you have to take all the risks and open yourself up.'
It was a frank assessment but undeniably true, with Laurent Koscielny, brought in for Per Mertesacker - who had started the season well - primarily, though not exclusively, at fault.
Level pegging: Gervinho slams home the ball to score Arsenal's equaliser just before half time
For Chelsea's first goal on 21 minutes, a free kick from the edge of the area was delightfully lofted by Mata towards the far post.
No one from Arsenal attacked the ball and as Torres and Koscielny wrestled – literally – for the ball, the Spaniard found an innovative way of winning the battle: simply hooking his leg round the Frenchman to direct the ball home.
Arsenal kept passing the ball persistently and on 43 minutes, Mikel Arteta set Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain free. He found Gervinho in space after Terry and David Luiz dropped deep.
Still, on last weekend's evidence, the Ivorian seemed an unlikely scorer, but he turned smartly and drove the ball in.
Pat on the back: Gervinho celebrates his goal for Arsenal with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
For Chelsea's first goal on 21 minutes, a free kick from the edge of the area was delightfully lofted by Mata towards the far post.
No one from Arsenal attacked the ball and as Torres and Koscielny wrestled – literally – for the ball, the Spaniard found an innovative way of winning the battle: simply hooking his leg round the Frenchman to direct the ball home.
Arsenal kept passing the ball persistently and on 43 minutes, Mikel Arteta set Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain free.
Back in front: Mata's free kick evades everyone before nestling in the bottom of the net
Chance: Olivier Giroud missed an opportunity to level the scores in the final minutes
Gutted: Mike Arteta is dejected after Arsenal lose for the first time this season at home to Chelsea
Yet you could sense the nervousness in Arsenal's defensive ranks when Chelsea were awarded a free kick on 54 minutes in an almost identical position to the one that had enabled them to open the scoring.
Mata curled it around the wall into the six-yard box and Koscielny, caught in a moment of indecision, ended up deflecting it in.
For Arsenal, Abou Diaby had limped off after 17 minutes, a thigh strain ruling him out for three weeks. Olivier Giroud's afternoon ended dismally when he sidestepped Petr Cech only to slice into the sidenetting.
No doubt Torres would sympathise.
Backing: Chelsea fans showed their support for John Terry who gave his boots to young fans (below)
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