England midfielder Frank Lampard insists John Terry thrives on the kind of vile abuse dished out by Stoke fans during Chelsea's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Terry, 29, is still being taunted for the lurid headlines that accompanied his alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel - the former girlfriend of his one-time Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge. Terry responded to the abuse by setting up the opening goal for Lampard and then heading the clincher in the second half to set up a Wembley semi-final against Aston Villa next month.
"Sometimes the abuse oversteps the mark," said Lampard. "Strong players react in positive ways and that's what John did. These things happen but we'll just move on. That's a good answer to it really."
Lifting the FA Cup on May 15 would be the perfect answer to Terry's critics, but Lampard knows Villa will be no pushovers.
"Winning the FA Cup this year will mean the same as it always has done for John," the midfielder continued. "You want to look back on your career having won trophies.
"Villa are a good team, we all know that now. They have a few players in the England squad and have great spirit and quality.
"After the disappointment of losing the League Cup final, they will want to go back to Wembley and win something, so it will be tough for us."
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved.
