Ray Wilkins was impressed with the side's application against Stoke, and stressed afterwards that the FA Cup remains a priority.

A goal in either half from Frank Lampard and captain John Terry gave us a 2-0 win against the Potters at Stamford Bridge, setting up a semi-final date at Wembley with Aston Villa, and Wilkins explained how the lads were feeling afterwards.

'We want to win every game we play and the FA Cup is high on our list as well, just coming out of the dressing room now the players are elated,' the assistant manager said, 'and another game at Wembley and they will be looking forward to that.

'There's immense pride in every game they play, they're a group of winners and it's very pleasant to be in that dressing room with them because they want to win.

'We never get beaten because we don't put the effort in, they certainly have a pride in their performance and today showed a terrific will to win. We want to win the FA Cup, it's a massive competition for us. We were there last year and the elation after the game was something special and we want to do that again.'

This afternoon's match saw us return to winning ways after successive defeats, and Wilkins praised the side's work-rate against a demanding opposition.

'It's never easy against Stoke, they really put you under a lot of pressure, especially with the dead balls and long throws, but our concentration levels were fantastic and we merited the victory,' he said.

'The FA Cup is that type of trophy, every game you play [is important], especially against sides like Stoke who work extremely hard, they are organised superbly well and make it very difficult for you, especially when you see the size of some of those guys, but defensively I thought we were very good indeed.'

Man of the match must be Terry, who not only scored the second but laid on the first for Lampard to fire home, despite receiving plenty of attention from the visiting support.

'It's happening but John is getting on with the situation, and I think he is dealing with the situation in the only fashion he can, committing himself to the cause and you saw again today another superb performance,' Wilkins commented.

'I think he was taking a little bit of stick from Stoke supporters, but he's an exceptional captain and we're delighted to have him. He leads these players on the pitch in a fantastic fashion and scored the second goal, a great goal.'

Now we return to Wembley for the second time this season after August's Community Shield victory, and it is an occasion Wilkins is relishing, in spite of recent criticism regarding the playing surface.

Smiling, the 54-year-old said: 'It looks green enough to me.

'I can show the guys some bad pitches if they wish to see some pictures, but I don't think they play on too many bad ones nowadays.'

A relaying is expected between now and the weekend of April 10/11, so the stage is set for a repeat of the 2000 Final. Fulham or Tottenham will meet Portsmouth in the other semi, but next up for Chelsea is West Ham as we return to the Premier League.

Today's game is repeated on Chelsea TV from midnight.