Enzo Fernandez was forced to watch from the side as Chelsea ran riot against Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals, although Glenn Hoddle admitted he isn’t completely on board with his punishment.
The Blues responded to a tough run of form with an emphatic 7-0 win, as six different players got on the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge.
Fernandez was all smiles, but ultimately will have been gutted to not have the chance to get in on the act as he served the first of a two game in-house suspension.
Chelsea player ratings vs Port Vale 👏🏻
Who was your MOTM?
Chelsea player ratings against Port Vale in the FA Cup
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Glenn Hoddle disagrees with Enzo Fernandez two-game sanction
Liam Rosenior admitted the whole club had come to the decision to not see him involved in this game and next week’s against Manchester City.
Hoddle told TNT Sports that he sympathised with the manager’s position, but didn’t believe suspending him for the City game was required.
Chelsea v Port Vale - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
He said: “You don’t need that. You’re putting out fires all the time, you don’t need another one. For me, Liam made a good point. I wouldn’t have done it for Man City, I don’t think that was needed.”
Marc Cucurella made similar comments while representing Spain during the international break, although he survived any form of sanction by the club.
He was an unused substitute for the win over Port Vale, and watched on as Jorrel Hato scored and starred in his position.
Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella’s first sighting after the Chelsea comments 👀
Anything to take away from this?
Chelsea v Port Vale - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea find answer to Fernandez conundrum
Both Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos were handed the chance to start against Port Vale, with the latter finding the net late on.
It was a perfect game for Lavia as he continues his road to a full recovery, although he still wasn’t able to bring up his first 90 minute showing since joining the club.
Santos though was the one who was able to surely nail down a starting position for the huge game against City, with them needing an immediate turnaround in the Premier League.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox