Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

Terry was at the right place at the right time

Chelsea booked their place in the last four of the FA Cup with victory over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

Captain John Terry scored the only goal of the game when he side-footed Damien Duff's corner past Shay Given in the Newcastle goal on four minutes.

Chelsea created the clearest chances, with Ricardo Carvalho missing from three yards and Didier Drogba thwarted by Given on two occasions.

Newcastle's Robbie Elliott was sent off late on for two bookable offences.

The result ended captain Alan Shearer's hopes of winning a trophy with Newcastle, with his retirement date set for the end of the season.

But even the 35-year-old must have known that it was unlikely his 10-year association with Newcastle would end with silverware once the Magpies were drawn away to Chelsea.

And his heart must have sank to the bottom of the Tyne when after just four minutes, Jose Mourinho's men took the lead thanks to Terry.

At least Newcastle gave it a go, but we do lack a cutting edge these days From BK Have your say on 606

The Blues captain was left unmarked as he placed Duff's corner, via the foot of Newcastle midfielder Nolberto Solano, past goalkeeper Given.

Chelsea played at a fairly pedestrian pace after scoring the opener, because the opposition provided little in the way of an attacking threat.

Newcastle's best chance of the opening half came when Kieron Dyer laid the ball into the path of Lee Bowyer, whose shot was parried by Carlo Cudicini and cleared by Terry, before Shearer could reach the ball.

It was the closest Shearer got to scoring as Newcastle's midfield, in particular Solano, delivered a hatful of poor final balls into the penalty area after working hard to win possession from the Premiership leaders.

Mourinho's men created a hatful of opportunities to increase the lead, with Carvalho scuppering the best by poking Frank Lampard's corner wide from inside the six-yard area.

Ivory Coast striker Drogba then had two attempts in succession saved by the alert Given, before Eidur Gudjohnsen's low pass across the Newcastle goal eluded the arriving Joe Cole by a couple of feet.

Newcastle replaced injured defender Celestine Babayaro for debutant Craig Moore, while Turkey midfielder Emre was also brought on, but neither could spark a tepid Newcastle into life.

To rub salt into their wounds, Elliott was sent off late in the game when the referee showed him a second yellow card for an innocuous challenge on Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Chelsea marched on in search of a possible double, while Shearer's fairytale ending turned to disappointment.

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Chelsea skipper John Terry:

"It's not about revenge for last year.

"The most important thing is that we're in the hat for the draw. We're pleased to bounce back after a very disappointing result at the weekend.

"It was important to get a good start and we did that. It set the tone."

Newcastle's caretaker manager Glenn Roeder:

"We showed a lot of spirit and produced some quality passing. There was good movement and we had a fair amount of possession.

"I'm perhaps disappointed that in and around the area we didn't create enough clear-cut chances to test their goalkeeper.

"But we put on a really good show against the team that will be Premiership champions again this season. They are hot favourites for the Cup and deserve to be."

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Chelsea: Cudicini, Geremi, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno, Joe Cole (Essien 77), Makelele, Lampard, Duff (Wright-Phillips 68), Drogba, Gudjohnsen (Crespo 77).
Subs Not Used: Cech, Huth.

Booked: Drogba, Geremi.

Goals: Terry 4.

Newcastle: Given, Carr, Elliott, Ramage, Babayaro (Moore 52), Solano (Emre 70), Bowyer, Parker, Dyer, Ameobi, Shearer.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Faye, Clark.

Sent Off: Elliott (90).

Booked: Elliott, Ameobi, Moore, Shearer.

Att: 42,279

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).