By Ayomide Otitoju
Chelsea booked a place in the FA Cup semi-finals with a resounding 7-0 win over League One side Port Vale at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Jorrel Hato opened the scoring after just 63 seconds, setting the tone for a dominant display. Joao Pedro added a second, while Cole Palmer’s strike was later credited as an own goal by Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel, putting Chelsea 3-0 ahead at halftime.
The second half saw Tosin Adarabioyo head home the fourth, Andrey Santos score from a corner for the fifth, and Estevao Willian add a sixth from close range. A stoppage-time penalty converted by Alejandro Garnacho completed the rout, marking Chelsea’s largest FA Cup quarter-final margin this season.
Manager Liam Rosenior made three changes to the starting lineup, with Adarabioyo replacing Marc Cucurella in defence, Santos coming in for Moises Caicedo in midfield, and Willian starting instead of Enzo Fernandez.
Port Vale, who had stunned Premier League side Sunderland in the fifth round, were unable to repeat that upset against the Blues, who now advance to the last four of the competition.
