**Chelsea**coasted to victory over Port Vale, moving into the final four of the FA Cup.
The display was not the most dynamic in the first half, but Jorrel Hato, Joao Pedro and an own goal gave the hosts a 3-0 lead at Stamford Bridge.
Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and **Estevao**doubled that advantage in the second half, before Alejandro Garnacho completed the scoring.
Story of the Match
**Jon Brady**rotated four members of the lineup he used in a 4-0 loss to Wycombe Wanderers last week in League One. Rhys Walters, Liam Gordon, Ben Waine, matchwinner against Sunderland, and Martin Sherif came in for Jordan Shipley, Jaheim Headley, George Hall and Ethon Archer.
The big news from Liam Rosenior revolved around a suspension for Enzo Fernandez after comments about his future, so Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos started in midfield behind Cole Palmer.
Jorrel Hato had taken the place of Marc Cucurella at left back, **Estevao**returned to the attacking unit as a left winger, and Joao Pedro played as the central forward inside Pedro Neto.
Supporters at Stamford Bridge had endured a miserable March, but April got off to a great start. The Blues banked a corner kick in the first minute of the match, then crowded the goalkeeper with bodies. A melee ensued, and Hato was on hand to bundle the ball into the back of the net on the rebound.
They nearly doubled their lead two minutes later. Malo Gusto galloped forward on the underlap, and he offered an option for Neto to try to break into the penalty area. The full-back found Palmer with his pullback, and a miscued effort from the ten allowed the guests to stay in the game a little longer.
The momentum did not last much longer though. Rosenior’s men did not play with the greatest fluidity, lacking some quality through the sloppiness of Neto, while Palmer was forced to receive back to goal in a maze of white and black shirts. Occasionally, the opposition generated some threat.
In the 11th minute, Sherif gambled on a knocked ball from Walters, towering over Tosin Adarabioyo. The midfielder received the ball back from his teammate, and he sent the ball fizzing along the floor towards the far post.
Although Waine had ghosted off the back of Gusto, he refused to throw himself at the ball, and an opportunity to repeat the heroics from the previous round had passed him by.
The guests grew into the contest. **Connor Hall**headed the ball over the bar from a deep free kick, and Walters would show some impressive footwork in the middle of the park. **Chelsea**continued to dominate possession, but they needed their star forward to turn control into clinical actions.
Santos clipped the ball over the lines towards Neto, and Liam Gordon grappled with the winger. He should have dealt with the bouncing ball, but the spin allowed Neto to take charge, and he produced a cutback at the key moment.
Joao Pedro was the grateful recipient, pausing on the ball before picking his spot with a well-placed strike into the side of the net. The hosts were now two goals to the good.
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A collision between Sherif and Santos saw a break in play, and there remained little to praise for **Chelsea**before they clinched their victory with a third goal to round off the first half performance.
Gusto got between the lines, flicking an Adarabioyo line-breaking pass around the corner into the path of Joao Pedro. The forward returned the favour, putting on the brakes before freeing the fullback to strike at the top of the box. Gusto forced **Joe Gauci**to get low and make a save, but Palmer followed in the rebound, and Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel unfortunately steered a wayward effort goal bound.
Port Vale would not wither away. Another set-piece at the start of the second half saw **Funso Ojo**float the ball towards the back post, and **Cameron Humphreys**eventually watched his shot get blocked.
Meanwhile, **Chelsea**chose to switch their wingers: Estevao was now on the right side of the pitch, and he got much more service. Firstly, he marginally drifted offside as he opened up for a raking switch from Lavia to break behind the backline.
Then, Joao Pedro picked apart the defence with a backheel, and Santos shifted the ball towards the winger, who would clip the outside of the post.
Final third activity remained concentrated in this zone. Palmer preferred placement over power as he tried to catch out Gauci at the edge of the danger zone before Neto pulled the trigger at a distance to sting the shot stopper’s palms.
A corner came after Neto’s effort, and he slipped a pass down the inside channel to Gusto. The fullback stood up the ball to the far post, and Adarabioyo headed home.
Neto and Palmer put through Estevao on the right once more, and again Gauci got off his line to frustrate the forward. Palmer backed himself to finish the rebound, but the goalkeeper won the duel.
At the hour mark, Rosenior opted for a triple substitution. Dario Essugo entered in place of Palmer, Liam Delap came on for Joao Pedro upfront, and Alejandro Garnacho got the position of Neto.
Estevao’s quest for a goal continued. He combined smoothly with Gusto, going beyond the backline before pulling the ball back to Garnacho, and the substitute steered the ball over the crossbar. He then went into another 1v1 battle, hitting the post and the ball bounced fortuitously off the head of Gauci.
His compatriot, Santos, smacked the next notable effort at the target, and a deflection earned a corner for Chelsea. Estevao delivered, and Santos soared freely at the far post to put the hosts 5-0 ahead.
Eventually, the winger would put his name on the scoresheet. Hato handled the ball between the lines, looking successfully for a deep run from Garnacho.
The Argentine smacked the post, and Estevao easily stuck away the rebound. Initially, the referee raised his flag thinking that a blue shirt had connected first with the ball once it came back off the frame of the goal, but VAR corrected the error.
Garnacho grabbed a goal himself, winning and burying a penalty in the final moments of the second half. Port Vale had produced a historic run, but the Blues were on their way to Wembley Stadium.