An uninspiring contest was settled by the England centre-back's fourth-minute strike, allowing the runaway Premiership leaders to join West Ham and Liverpool in the last four.

Chelsea had been handed a perfect start when Terry met Damien Duff's low corner with a sweetly struck left foot volley.

Shay Given appeared to have the danger covered but the ball found its way into the net with the aid of a deflection off Nolberto Solano's unhelpfully outstretched boot.

It should have been a killer blow but Chelsea appeared to lack the cutting edge required to build on it while Newcastle refused to buckle.

It took a fine save from Carlo Cudicini, standing in for Petr Cech, to keep out Lee Bowyer's low drive from the edge of the area and a Solano free-kick drifted inches wide as the champions struggled to assert their authority on the game.

Shola Ameobi also went close for Newcastle, five minutes before the break, but Chelsea were to spurn a much better chance a minute later.

Scott Parker pulled down Asier del Horno and, from the resulting free-kick, Portuguese centreback Ricardo Carvalho contrived to divert Frank Lampard's inch-perfect delivery wide of the target from barely three yards out.

Given had to produce two good stops in quick succession to deny Didier Drogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen's low cross skidded across the goalmouth with Joe Cole arriving fractionally too late.

Australian defender Craig Moore, who joined Newcastle last summer, finally made his debut for the club seven minutes into the second half as a substitute for Celestine Babayaro.

Moore did a good enough job of shackling Didier Drogba for what remained of the match, but Newcastle's forwards were equally impotent at the other end as the contest drifted to a predictable conclusion.