Football: Chelsea, Villa into FA Cup semis

Defending champion Chelsea beat Stoke 2-0 this morning (NZT) to line up an FA Cup semifinal against Aston Villa, which needed a second-half hat-trick from John Carew to win 4-2 at Reading.

Frank Lampard and captain John Terry scored Chelsea's goals at Stamford Bridge against a Stoke side which had knocked Arsenal and Manchester City out of the competition.

Lampard fired home the first in the 35th minute with a deflected 20-metre drive after he was set up for the shot by Terry. In the 67th minute, Lampard's corner found Terry who scored the second with a deflected header.

"It's never easy after a defeat like last week, we didn't play to our standards but came back determined to put it right," Lampard said in reference to a 4-2 Premier League loss at home to Manchester City. "It was a difficult game and we handled it very well.

"Wembley is a great day out for the fans, we hold the trophy at the minute and we want to get back there."

Trailing to two first-half strikes by Reading's Shane Long, Villa scored three times in 11 minutes early in the second half and Carew added a fourth from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

The result means Villa gets to return to Wembley in April, after losing to Manchester United in the League Cup final at the home of English football a week ago.

"It was a great spell by us just after halftime and we needed to do something because we had played so meekly in the first half," said Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who said he started Carew only because Gabriel Agbonlahor was taken ill during the morning.

"I think after all the effort that we have put in in both cups this season, to go out as meekly as we might have done would have been very disappointing. But I am delighted with the team, we have showed great character."

Struggling near the relegation zone in the League Championship, Reading had already knocked out Liverpool in the third round of the cup and another shock appeared likely after Long's first half goals at the Madejski Stadium.

Matt Mills jumped well to head a corner into the goalmouth and Long was unmarked to deflect the ball past goalkeeper Brad Friedel in the 27th minute.

Reading went further ahead just before halftime when Jimmy Kebe broke down the right and pulled the ball back for Long to beat Friedel from 15 meters.

But Villa hit back within two minutes of the restart when Carew's pass was flicked on by Carlos Cuellar to Ashley Young, who turned the ball home at the far post.