Chelsea put a week filled with controversy to one side to destroy Port Vale in their FA Cup quarter-final tie, prevailing 7-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to avoid a cup upset. The Blues were plunged into crisis after head coach Liam Rosenior confirmed vice-captain Enzo Fernandez had been suspended for two games for comments made about potentially joining Real Madrid, while Marc Cucurella was also reprimanded for similar sentiments about Barcelona and criticising the club hierarchy's blueprint for success.
It took little over 60 seconds for Chelsea to break the deadlock. An in-swinging corner from Pedro Neto drifted into a packed six-yard box, and Port Vale goalkeeper Joe Gauci could only punch the ball as far as Jorrel Hato, who lashed back in a low strike which beat several bodies on the line.
Midway through the first half, the Blues doubled that advantage. Neto was again at the heart of the action, swivelling away from full-back Liam Gordon to meet a high Andrey Santos ball over the top, and he squared for Joao Pedro to control, turn and finish at close range.
Chelsea added a third shortly before half-time. Malo Gusto burst into the Port Vale box with a late run and saw a fierce shot pushed away by Gauci, but Cole Palmer was on hand to help divert the rebound in off of Jordan Gabriel, going down as an own goal.
Estevao ought to have scored Chelsea's fourth on the other side of the break after compatriots Pedro and Santos linked up on the edge of the box before releasing the winger, who struck the outside of the post. But Chelsea's next goal did soon follow on 57 minutes on the second delivery from a corner, with Gusto's teasing cross headed back into the bottom corner by Tosin Adarabioyo.
Estevao hit the post again with Chelsea showing little mercy and keen on running up the score, as the Brazilian teed up Santos from a corner for the hosts' fifth heading into the final 20 minutes.
When Estevao finally did find the back of the net himself, he was denied by a late offside flag. Hato picked out the run of Alejandro Garnacho into a dangerous area, and though he struck the post, Chelsea's No.41 tucked away the rebound before the referee's whistle was sounded. However, a VAR check confirmed Estevao was in fact onside and he was at last granted a goal.
There was still time for Chelsea to grab a seventh when Tyler Magloire brought down Garnacho, who stepped up and sent Gauci the wrong way from the penalty spot to round off the scoring.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge...