Terry silences boo-boys as Blues progress

Chelsea captain John Terry provided the perfect response to an afternoon of abuse as the Blues claimed a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Stoke at Stamford Bridge.

Terry's second-half strike confirmed Chelsea's place in the last four where they will meet Aston Villa at Wembley.

Terry, stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello because of lurid headlines concerning his private life, celebrated his goal by running to the corner flag and pointing at his captain's armband, and said: "The armband means a lot, of course. Chelsea have been very supportive, the players as well, but we wanted to show the fans how much it meant to us."

He added: "We had a couple of days to work on their set plays but they can play as well. On a dodgy pitch I thought we played well and bounced back from last week."

Terry had been booed and abused all afternoon by Stoke fans who lambasted the defender for his alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of his one-time Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.

When asked about the abuse, Chelsea's assistant coach Ray Wilkins replied: "It's happening and John's just getting on with the situation.

"I'm not too happy about it, but there's nothing I can do. He's dealing with the situation in the only way he can - committing himself to the cause. That was another superb performance from him."

When quizzed about Terry's celebration involving the use of the armband, Wilkins added: "He was taking a bit too much stick from the Stoke fans and wanted to demonstrate that.

"He's an exceptional captain and we're delighted to have him on board. He leads these players on the pitch in fantastic fashion and scored a great second goal."