Chelsea 2-0 Stoke

Chelsea have won the competition four times and been beaten finalists once since Glenn Hoddle took charge in 1993 and will now face Martin O'Neill's League Cup finalists at Wembley as they look to defend their cup.

It was a game of little quality and moments of class were a rarity. Chelsea dominated possession and passed the ball at will, while Tony Pulis's side, reverting to type, could only threaten through set-pieces and Rory Delap's long throws.

Carlo Ancelotti's men took the lead after 35 minutes when Florent Malouda's corner kick found Terry at the back post and the Chelsea captain pulled the ball back for Lampard to fire a shot off Abdoulaye Faye and past Thomas Sorensen.

The home side secured their place in the final four when Chelsea's English contingent combined again.

Lampard fizzed in a corner kick and Terry beat Dean Whitehead and Robert Huth to the ball and headed powerfully past Sorensen.

Ancelotti's assistant Ray Wilkins was delighted to reach yet another semi-final and praised their performance.

"It's never an easy game against Stoke - they put you under a lot of pressure, especially from the dead balls and long throws.

"I thought our concentration level was fantastic and I thought we merited the victory. Defensively we were very, very strong indeed."

The former England midfielder also highlighted the importance of the competition to the five-time winners.

"They showed today a terrific will to win. They want to win the FA Cup. We class the FA Cup as a massive competition. We were there last year and the elation in the dressing room after the game was something very, very special. So we want to mirror that once again.

"There's immense pride in every game that they play. They are a group of winners and it is very pleasant to be in that dressing room with them."

Tony Pulis took the result in his stride and remained his pragmatic self.

"You have your chances, you've got to take your chances. You know, when you play against top teams, and Chelsea are a top team, you put everything in perspective.

"Even though we were a little bit under strength, I thought the lads gave it everything and had a right go."

With Chelsea facing Aston Villa, Harry Redknapp will face the side he won the competition with in 2008 as his Spurs side play Portsmouth.