Source: Telegraph
Chelsea 2 Stoke City 0: match report
The man with the buzz cut ran to the corner flag in primal celebration, pulled up his shirt sleeve and jabbed at the captain's armband. [LNB]As he eventually wheeled away, back into his own half, his bicep was still exposed, sleeve up, the armband still in place. In case there was any doubt, he pointed to it again. [LNB] Related ArticlesFA Cup draw: Aston Villa to face ChelseaReading 2 Aston Villa 4Sunday actionFulham 0 Tottenham 0Portsmouth 2 Birmingham City 0Saturday actionJohn Terry certainly reacted here. He reacted to the occasion, the need to get Chelsea back on track. He reacted to the remorseless goading of the [LNB]Stoke City supporters and although it may be a stretch to say he reacted to being stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello this was his first game since appearing for his country in midweek he is still smarting from the loss, for sure, and the knowledge that the Italian, who wasn't here, will never rely on him to lead again. [LNB]Terry's face looked drawn as he stood, bare-chested, with that armband still in place and spoke about the need to 'bounce back' from last weekend's defeat to Manchester City. [LNB]'The armband means a lot to me. Chelsea have been very supportive,' he added of his own travails. 'I would like to thank everyone for that.' Not everyone. Stoke's fans got at him and got to him no doubt about it and assistant manager Ray Wilkins said of the taunting: [LNB]'It's run its course. It's a pity that it happens but John is getting on with the situation, getting on with his football and committing himself to the cause.' [LNB]Asked about Terry's overwrought reaction, Wilkins added: 'I think he was taking a little bit of stick from the Stoke supporters.' [LNB]Just a bit. But, for Chelsea, this isn't going to go away. Not yet anyway. Not when Terry can be forced into a reaction as he did when then fouling Ricardo Fuller, drawing a yellow card, and gesturing to the visiting fans. [LNB]He's not exactly on edge but there is a taughtness to his game, to his features and, emphatically, despite his goal, it was his central defensive partner, Alex, who was the man-of-the-match. [LNB]Chelsea came in fear of Rory Delap's trademark long-throw and left in praise of two trademark moves of their own. [LNB]There wasn't just Terry's header, powered into the net off Andy Wilkinson, following a third successive corner, with the Stoke fullback having also bundled away Nicolas Anelka's goal-bound effort. [LNB]There was also the kind of crisp strike that Frank Lampard has made his own running onto Terry's lay-off to fizz a right-footed shot from the edge of the area that skimmed of the thigh of [LNB]Abdoulaye Faye to wrong-foot Thomas Sorensen. It was an 18th FA Cup goal for Lampard in Chelsea colours, one behind Peter Osgood for the club. [LNB]This was a performance from the cup holders who have now reached a fourth FA Cup semi-final in five years and a date at Wembley against Saturday's other quarter-final victors, Aston Villa that bristled with a defiance. [LNB]This was a big result for Chelsea. Shorn off five possibly six definite first-team starters through injury and suspension, but with Joe Cole still confined to the bench by an increasingly unimpressed Carlo Ancelotti, they produced a display that had the feeling of getting back on track. [LNB]Regaining their footing; digging in for the run-in. Stoke manager Tony Pulis, as is his style, and the style of his team, took a no-nonsense approach to proceedings and Terry's predicament. [LNB]'John will have to accept he's going to have to take stick,' he said. 'He took stick from England supporters the other night … Ask John whether it fires him up more.' Pulis's assessment of the match was equally blunt. [LNB]'You have your chances and you've got to take them,' he said. 'Put everything in perspective. We knocked Arsenal out, Man City out so to draw Chelsea away was a bit harsh.' [LNB]It was. And Stoke did have their opportunities. The first three moments of note all came from them twice involving those Delap grenades. [LNB]On five minutes, the ball was headed on by Robert Huth and Mamady Sidibé, in front of the flapping Henrique Hilario, headed over. [LNB]On nine minutes Alex had to react sharply to block from Sidibé after Fuller's cross-shot fell to him at the far post and on 15 minutes, Hilario punched the ball out to Dean [LNB]Whitehead whose low volley was hacked off the line by John Obi Mikel. It was looking rocky for Chelsea. Pressure wasn't being applied, possession not dominated, chances not created. [LNB]Eventually Stoke's storm subsided. Nicolas Anelka dragged a shot wide and then, from a corner, Lampard struck. It changed the dynamics and the visitors lost a bit of belief. [LNB]Chelsea sensed it and Sorensen had to react quickly to push away a Didier Drogba near-post volley, before Lampard struck a knock-down over the bar and Pulis realised the game was slipping away. He quickly made a double substitution having already lost Glenn Whelan to injury but the momentum was with Chelsea. [LNB]After Terry scored, the game was up. Sorensen beat out Lampard's dipping shot, before Terry's long ball released Salomon Kalou. [LNB]Through on goal, his sidefooted shot was smothered by the goalkeeper before Terry harried Fuller into an error and Lampard, quick again, slipped a pass to Anelka who rolled it wide. [LNB]Faye headed two half-chances over for Stoke before, in the final minute, Alex jockeyed Fuller wide enough so that his eventual shot was easily blocked by Hilario. A clean sheet, as well as a victory, but a mixed emotion for Terry. [LNB][LNB]
