John Terry of Chelsea celebrates scoring a goal during the Russian Railways Cup match between Chelsea and Milan at the Lokomotiv Stadium on August 03, 2008 in Moscow, Russia.

Police are investigating allegations that Chelsea captain John Terry racially abused Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match.

The Metropolitan police said yesterday that they were "notified of an incident ... involving alleged racial abuse" after a complaint from a member of the public following Sunday's match between the west London clubs at Loftus Road.

"This is currently being assessed by officers," police said.

England captain Terry has strenuously denied claims he directed a racial slur at Ferdinand during Chelsea's 0-1 defeat in an ill-tempered game that featured two sending-offs and nine yellow cards.

Some have claimed video footage that appeared on the internet after the match showed Terry making a racist comment toward Ferdinand, a black defender.

However, the 30-year-old Terry said on Sunday that "people have leapt to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying."

"I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term," Terry said.

Terry said Ferdinand hasn't accused him of racial abuse and told the Daily Mail newspaper that the matter is "finished."