Port Vale’s starting line-up cost them nothing, zilch, nada. It consisted of eight free transfers, two loanees, and one academy graduate.
Chelsea’s totalled £439.8million including add-ons, and that was without their £106.8m midfielder on the naughty step, Enzo Fernandez.
While it was fairly inevitable Chelsea would end Vale’s wonderful journey in this season’s FA Cup – sometimes, money talks in this game of 11 v 11 – there will still have been that nagging worry in the back of Liam Rosenior’s mind. That ‘What if?’
Chelsea had lost their last four fixtures in succession. They’re out of the Champions League, and faltering in the Premier League. The fans are frustrated and on their backs. Their own players have been questioning the direction of travel and, as we know, doing some flirting.
Rosenior decided not to take a risk against the side sitting bottom of League One by selecting a strong side, minus, of course, Fernandez. He was unavailable after fluttering his eyelashes at Real Madrid over the international break with the vice captain handed a two-game ban by his own club.
But the 25-year-old Argentinian was in attendance here, sitting behind the substitutes’ bench, sipping a tea, smiling, joking with Marc Cucurella and wearing a £420 baseball cap. He may as well have doffed that pricy accessory to his peers. In his absence, they made sure Rosenior could breathe easy throughout this quarter-final victory, and now Wembley Stadium awaits.
Chelsea cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals with a thumping 7-0 win over Port Vale
Liam Rosenior fielded a strong side after a tricky week for the head coach and the club
‘I’ve got a group of players who still believe, as I do, that we can have an outstanding season in terms of winning an FA Cup and qualifying for a Champions League,’ Rosenior said.
‘I’ll think about Wembley when we’re there. We’ve got a huge (Premier League) game against Manchester City next Sunday that my focus is fully on for now.’
Fernandez will also miss City to complete his in-house suspension and, naturally, Rosenior was asked his thoughts on the midfielder’s agent, Javier Pastore, criticising his punishment.
‘That’s his opinion,’ Rosenior said. ‘I don’t have anything to say on someone else’s opinion. Enzo knows what I think of him. It was brilliant to see him here to support the players. We’ll move forward. Enzo and I are in a very good place. I saw him today, had a really good conversation with him one-to-one, and things aren’t what people maybe think they are.’
Cole Palmer was among Rosenior’s starters and he wore the captain’s armband for the first time. There was also Joao Pedro, Wesley Fofana, Pedro Neto, Estevao and so on. It was only once Chelsea led by at least five goals that Rosenior felt ready to introduce the academy kids – 17-year-old Ryan Kavuma-McQueen for his senior debut and Josh Acheampong, 19. He had to be sure, and in truth, Vale never stood a chance. Credit to their 6,000 travelling supporters, however. They took over the entirety of Stamford Bridge’s Shed End, and were determined to have a blast off the pitch, no matter what might happen on it.
To reach this FA Cup quarter-final, Vale had beaten Maldon & Tiptree, Bristol Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Bristol City and Sunderland, all at home. The only team to have scored against them? Maldon & Tiptree, who play in the Isthmian League North Division.
If Jon Brady’s final warning to his players was to keep it tight for the first 10 minutes, then it was not heeded. Vale conceded after 63 seconds as Jorrel Hato walloped in a corner from six yards after visiting goalkeeper Joe Gauci’s poor punched clearance.
It was a present from the League One bottom dwellers. While unfortunate for Brady and Vale, that was precisely what Rosenior and Chelsea needed. It does not take much to turn the atmosphere toxic at Stamford Bridge nowadays. While leading, the supporters in the Matthew Harding Stand used a momentary lull to start singing for Roman Abramovich and against Behdad Eghbali.
Chelsea scored their second in the 25th minute when Joao Pedro collected Neto’s cross, swivelled and sent the ball into the corner. The fans here have been calling for their club to cease with their youth-only approach to transfers – and Rosenior has hinted they will be tweaking that strategy this summer – but their purchase of Joao Pedro was a masterstroke.
He was 23 when he joined from Brighton for £55million, rising to £60m, though did arrive armed with English football experience. His goal here was his 19th of the season in all competitions, and he was influential in it becoming 3-0 after 42 minutes here.
Joao Pedro charged at the Vale defence after a marvellous flick in midfield from Malo Gusto. The Brazilian waited patiently for support as he fed the overlapping Gusto, whose shot was spilled by Gauci for Palmer to tap in. Unfortunately for Chelsea’s stand-in skipper, it went down as a Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel own goal.
Rosenior resisted the urge to make half-time substitutes. He waited until they took their 4-0 lead – from a Tosin Adarabioyo header on a Gusto cross – to bring on Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo. After striking each post, Estevao was frustrated not to have scored, but he did deliver the corner from which Andrey Santos made it 5-0.
With Kavuma-McQueen and Acheampong brought on to the delight of the crowd – always good to get them onside – it became 6-0 when Garnacho hit the woodwork before Estevao tapped in the rebound. It was flagged offside by our assistant here. ‘F*** VAR,’ sang the Vale supporters while it was being checked. It was deemed onside, and Estevao finally had the goal his man-of-the-match performance deserved.
As we entered stoppage time, Chelsea won a penalty with Garnacho tripped by Tyler Magloire. Garnacho took it himself, and scored their seventh of the afternoon.
The big screen at Stamford Bridge flashed up a picture of Rosenior applauding with the words: ‘We’re off to Wembley.’ They are indeed, at a canter.
