Chelsea cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals after ending Port Vale’s fairytale run with a resounding 7-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
Port Vale, bottom of League One and 15 points adrift of safety, reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years after knocking out Premier League side Sunderland.
Chelsea were quick to extinguish any hope of another upset, opening the scoring after just 64 seconds when Jorel Hato tapped in from close range.
The game was effectively over in the 25th minute when Joao Pedro rounded defender Kyle Gunn inside the box and slotted home the second goal.
Chelsea extended their lead three minutes before half-time when Gaucci parried Malu Justo’s cross, only for Cole Palmer to pounce and tap in the rebound.
After that, John Brady’s team’s ambitions were reduced to trying to limit the damage, but even that proved elusive as Tosin Adebayo scored Chelsea’s fourth goal in the 57th minute.
Andre Santos added Chelsea’s fifth with a header, then Estevão scored the sixth before Garnacho completed the rout with a penalty in stoppage time.
Chelsea joins Manchester City in the 2026 FA Cup semi-finals, with the remaining matches to be played at Wembley Stadium as usual.
