Embarrassing:
Celebration was for fans - Terry
Chelsea captain John Terry says his celebration after scoring against Stoke in the FA Cup on Sunday was a tribute to Blues fans for their support.
He has endured a turbulent few weeks following allegations about his private life and lost the England captaincy.
After heading Chelsea's second goal in the 2-0 quarter-final win he celebrated by pointing to his captain's armband.
"The armband means a lot. Chelsea have been supportive. We wanted to show the fans what it meant to us," said Terry.
Terry was booed throughout Sunday's tie at Stamford Bridge by the visiting Stoke supporters, who lambasted the 29-year-old over his alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of former Chelsea team-mate and current Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge.
I thought we played well and bounced back from last week. We had a couple of days to work on their set-plays but they can play as well
Chelsea captain John Terry
Terry, who was stripped of the England captaincy by national coach Fabio Capello last month after the allegations came to light, was also barracked by a small minority of home fans during the international friendly win over Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday.
When questioned about the verbal abuse, Chelsea assistant coach Ray Wilkins replied: "John's dealing with the situation in the only way he can - committing himself to the cause.
"He's an exceptional captain and we're delighted to have him on board. He leads these players on the pitch in fantastic fashion.
"He was taking a bit too much stick from the Stoke fans and wanted to demonstrate that."
Stoke manager Tony Pulis defended the Potters fans over their treatment of Terry and suggested the defender could win fans over at the World Cup in South Africa this summer. "Our fans are brilliant, different class," stated Pulis. "John will have to accept he'll take stick.
"He took stick from England supporters the other night but if he does well in the World Cup and wins it, he'll come back a hero."
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Terry's form has undoubtedly dipped during the fall-out from the recent newspaper revelations but his performance against Stoke - capped by his powerful 67th-minute header - represented a marked improvement.
The Blues grew in stature and confidence throughout the match to record a deserved victory over a powerful Stoke side to set up a semi-final clash with Aston Villa.
The win was Chelsea's first in three matches following a 2-1 defeat by Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on 24 February and the 4-2 Premier League home loss to Manchester City three days later.
"I thought we played well and bounced back from last week," added Terry. "We had a couple of days to work on their set-plays but they can play as well."
Despite seeing Stoke exit the FA Cup, Pulis was proud of his side and their achievements in the competition this season.
"The players were first class," he said. "We gave everything and had a right go.
"We've knocked Arsenal and Man City out so to pull Chelsea out of the hat at Stamford Bridge was a difficult tie."
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/8554982.stm