April 04, (THEWILL) — A devastating display at Stamford Bridge put Chelsea into the FA Cup semi-finals, the west London side overwhelming Port Vale 7-0 to book their place in the last four.
The contest was effectively settled within the opening minute.
Jorrel Hato opened the scoring after just 64 seconds, drilling in from close range after goalkeeper Joe Gauci failed to deal with Pedro Neto’s corner. Joao Pedro added a second in the 25th minute, composedly taking a touch before finishing from close range following strong work from Neto in the build-up.
A third goal arrived before the interval. Malo Gusto and Joao Pedro combined to create the opportunity, with Gusto’s shot parried by Gauci, only for Cole Palmer’s rebound to be turned into the net by Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel at the wrong end.
Chelsea’s dominance intensified after the restart. Centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo and Andrey Santos both converted headers before the 70th minute, with Port Vale unable to cope with deliveries into their box.
Estevao, who struck the woodwork twice in the second half, eventually found the net in the 82nd minute, converting on the rebound after Alejandro Garnacho’s effort came back off the post.
The latter rounded off the scoring in stoppage time, winning a penalty and stepping up to convert it himself, completing a dominant cup victory that sends Chelsea through to the semi-final draw.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
