Sunderland captain Dean Whitehead has warned his side not to think the Chelsea backlash is over despite their midweek demolition of Derby.The Blues head for the Stadium of Light having demolished struggling Derby in midweek in the wake of their FA Cup horror show last weekend.

Avram Grant's side were unwilling participants in the highest-profile giant-killing act of the quarter-finals when they were humbled by Barnsley.

Derby felt the full force of Chelsea's response on Wednesday when they were hit for six, with the Rams managing only a late consolation strike.

With two of the four competitions in which they had such high hopes having slipped from their grasp in recent weeks, the Londoners will arrive on Wearside determined not to concede any further ground in the title race.

Sunderland's needs, however, are very different, and they are desperate for a positive result after last weekend's 1-0 home defeat by Everton ended a run of four successive league victories at the Stadium of Light.

Whitehead knows just how tough a challenge that will be but believes his side can take a leaf out of Barnsley's book.

He said: "Chelsea are going to want to come out and prove a point to the whole of the Premier League that they are still top dogs.

"We will have to ride our luck at times, we will have to work hard and we will have to show plenty of courage and character to get a result.

"Premier League teams give them that little bit of respect they have earned.

"I think the conditions helped Barnsley on the day, and hopefully we can use our home advantage to our advantage."

Whitehead, 26, has found himself rubbing shoulders with some of the best midfielders in the world during his two spells in the Premier League with the Black Cats.

On Saturday he could find himself once again in direct opposition to Frank Lampard, who scored four goals against Derby.

But the former Oxford player knows whoever Grant selects in his team, there will be little difference in quality.

Whitehead said: "They have just got world-class players who have got that extra bit of quality and can produce something out of nothing and we will have to work hard to stop it.

"They have got world-class players - Lampard, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack - you can keep going on.

"They have got Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Joe Cole as well. But our back four has been solid, the keeper has been brilliant recently, so hopefully we can hold out.

"But we will have to get tight to them and let them know they are in a proper game.

"You have got to show them respect, but you have got to get stuck into them and make sure they know when they come off the pitch that they have been in a hard battle."

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