Chelsea advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley after beating League One bottom club Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge.
After four successive defeats and an international break that saw the club record financial losses and Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella making uncomfortable headlines, Liam Rosenior and Chelsea needed to bounce back. The FA Cup tie provided that.
It won’t be easy for Rossinier and Chelsea to return here when Manchester City visit in the Premier League next Sunday. But it was a timely boost for the Blues as they aim for a first FA Cup success since 2018 and a place in the top five of next season’s Champions League.
Any hopes of a comeback for Bale’s side, 61 places below Chelsea in the pyramid, were effectively dashed after just 64 seconds when Jorrel Hato capitalized on a poor punch from goalkeeper Joe Gauci.
Bale, who had shocked Sunderland in the Premier League in the previous round, seemed to be setting the stage for the game when Liam Gordon’s poor defending allowed Pedro Neto to find Joao Pedro for a sharp finish.
Is the game over? After blocking Marlo Gusteau’s shot, Jordan Gabriel scored the third goal for Cole Palmer, who was wearing the captain’s armband just before half-time.
Jorrel Hato celebrates with team-mate Wesley Fofana after giving Chelsea the opener against Port Vale.
With confidence restored, Chelsea picked up the pace after the break, with Tosin standing tall for a fourth after Estevao clipped the post. The Brazilian hit the bar again and an unmarked Andrei Santos headed Chelsea’s fifth.
Estevao ended up scoring a goal. Although he had to wait for a lengthy VAR check to finally correct a narrow offside call against him when he chased down Alejandro Garnacho’s upright strike.
Garnacho could not be denied either, winning a penalty from Tyler Magloir and saving Chelsea’s seventh and final kick of the game himself.
Andrei Santos scores Chelsea’s fifth goal against Port Vale.
It was a bruising and brutal end to a fantastic performance that saw Port Vale reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years.
With relegation from League One now likely, manager John Brady will hope the cup run will provide rejuvenating inspiration as they attempt to rebuild through the summer and next season.
Rosenior will be hoping this result can make an immediate impact for his Chelsea team.
Rosenior was pleased with the Chelsea ‘application’.
Chelsea manager Liam Rossinier:
“I was very pleased with the support and intensity of the team. Obviously we have good players, but the way we chased, the way we tackled, the way that gave us the platform to go on and win the game.
“We can still have an outstanding season in terms of winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League.”
On Palmer becoming captain: “It’s a natural step for Cole. He shows leadership. You have different types of leadership. He’s very brave and will take the ball down the field. That reflects what I want from our team.”
Brady: We’ve made a ton of history.
Port Vale boss Jon Brady:
“We set ourselves a few goals to not concede in the first 20 minutes. Conceding in the first minute was really tough. Same with the three set-pieces. Overall, where we are and where we are shows the level. If that doesn’t inspire our players, me and the coaching staff to try to be better every day, how can we aspire to be better every day?
“We have created a huge amount of history for the club. Beating Bristol City and Sunderland has been a truly great week for the football club. We have created lifelong memories for many of our fans and we are very grateful that 6,000 of them are here today.”
What will happen?
Chelsea home match Manchester City live broadcast sky sports Kick-off is Sunday April 12th at 4:30pm.
Port Vale return to action in League One action at home to Rotherham on Tuesday night. Sky Sports+; Kickoff at 7:45 PM.
