Chelsea demolished League One side Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup quarter-finals, advancing to the semi-finals. Six different players scored for the hosts, with an own goal completing the rout. The emphatic win came after a tough spell for manager Liam Rosenior.
Chelsea put their recent struggles behind them with a dominant display against Port Vale on Saturday. The Premier League side, who had lost four straight games, raced into a 3-0 lead by halftime through Jorrel Hato, Joao Pedro and an own goal by Port Vale's Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel. Hato opened the scoring after just 64 seconds, firing in a rebound from Pedro Neto's corner via deflections off goalkeeper Joe Gauci and Lawrence-Gabriel soon after Malo Gusto's parried shot under pressure from Cole Palmer's follow-up, Pedro had nodded home Neto's cross for the second goal. Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Willian Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho added further goals after the break, with Santos heading in from Estevao's corner, Estevao tapping home a rebound and Garnacho converting a late penalty. Liam Rosenior hopes the result marks a turning point. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “We had a really difficult 10 days but the way we came through is a really good step for the run-in.” He praised Estevao as a shining light, adding: “There is no ceiling for him.” The victory also follows a two-game suspension for midfielder Enzo Fernandez over comments expressing a desire to live in Madrid. Port Vale boss Jon Brady took pride in his side's cup run, their best since 1954 with prior wins over Bristol City and Sunderland. Despite propping up League One and facing likely relegation, Brady said: “I’m proud of the players overall... It shows how ruthless the players are at this level and it’s something we can aspire to.” Chelsea showed no mercy even after the game was won at halftime.
