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47 min: A long ball is sent into the Chelsea box and Garrity looks to square it across goal with his first touch, but the Blues can make the clearance.
46 min: Neto and Estêvão have switched sides, with the Portuguese winger on the left and the Brazilian on the right.
Kick-off: Chelsea 3-0 Port Vale
We’re back under way!
Liam Rosenior could decide to rotate a fair bit in the second half, with this match all-but decided. For Port Vale, it’s damage control.
Chelsea made that look pretty easy, but they didn’t have to do too much. Port Vale have not really caused them any real problems so far. The League One side will be hoping to keep it limited to three in the second half.
Half-time: Chelsea 3-0 Port Vale
Chelsea are in complete control at Stamford Bridge.
45+1 min: Just two minutes added on at the end of the first half.
44 min: That is a great team goal from Chelsea.
Tosin plays the ball forward to Gusto, who brilliantly flicks it through to João Pedro. The striker waits for the perfect moment to play Gusto in on the overlap and the Frenchman drills the ball across the face of goal for Palmer to tap in.
GOAL! Chesea 3-0 Port Vale (Cole Palmer, 43)
Captain Cole makes it three!
39 min: Chelsea break forward as Neto receives the ball on the right before cutting it back to Andrey Santos. The midfielder squares the ball across to Lavia, who goes for goal but his shot takes a deflection. Gauci is able to scramble across to claim it.
36 min: Lavia is down after taking a kick from Garrity. It doesn’t look too serious, however.
35 min: This performance from Chelsea hasn’t been great, but they have managed to get the better of their opponents in every area so far. Port Vale have barely had a look-in.
33 min: Sherif is booked for a challenge on Fofana.
31 min: Play is back under way and Port Vale have a corner… But the cross fails to beat the first man and Chelsea can clear it with ease.
28 min: There is a pause in play while Andrey Santos and Gordon receive treatment after a clash of heads.
26 min: Neto receives the ball on the right side of the box and does well to shake off pressure from Gordon before sending a low cross into João Pedro. The striker is given the time and space to control it and set himself up for the shot before firing the ball into the net.
Far too easy for the Blues.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Port Vale (João Pedro, 25)
João Pedro makes it two for the Blues! Port Vale have a lot of work to do now to get back into this.
22 min: Gusto plays the ball forward to Palmer, who loses possession in the box. Estêvão is able to pick it back up but eventually runs it behind for a goal kick.
21 min: Nothing comes of the Port Vale set piece and Chelsea handle it with ease.
19 min: Walters looks to break forward at speed but is tripped by Lavia. Port Vale have a free kick but no card is given.
16 min: Port Vale have a free kick on the right. Humphreys steps up to take it and crosses the ball into the box, but C.Hall heads it over.
14 min: Chelsea have completed over 100 passes in the opening 14 minutes compared to Port Vale’s 13.
11 min: Port Vale work their way forward as Walters receives the ball on the edge of the box. He goes for goal but drags his effort wide. Waine anticipates it, but can’t quite get there to tap it in.
8 min: Port Vale are just going to have to weather the storm in this match and try to make the most of their chances whenever they come. The visitors are yet to have a glimpse at goal in these early stages.
6 min: Chelsea are in complete control here as they look for a second. Port Vale appear to be shaken after that early goal.
3 min: Chelsea have an early corner and the ball is crossed into the box. Port Vale fail to deal with the threat and it falls straight to Hato, who drills his shot straight through a group of players and into the net.
That is the worst possible start for the League One side.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Port Vale (Jorrel Hato, 2)
Well… that was quick!
Hato breaks the deadlock inside two minutes!
1 min: Chelsea go for an early attack as João Pedro plays the ball out to Neto, who wins a corner.
Kick-off
We’re under way at Stamford Bridge!
The teams are out! Kick-off is just a few moments away.
Jeremy Boyce says:
“Looking forward to some “Cup Magic” (TM) as plucky underdogs Ch£ls£a take on the in-form Burslem boys. Given the state of unity on and off the pitch down in SW? Vale are in with a shout here. It only takes a second to score a goal. A team is always most vulnerable just after scoring a goal. The woodwork is all part of the goalkeeper’s armoury. On the day it’s 11 v 11 (plus subs). The Magic of the Cup is a living cliche. Isn’t it? Wasn’t it?”
“The Port Vale manager, Jon Brady, left Australia as a 17-year-old to chase his dream of playing in the United Kingdom. Spells at Brentford, Swansea and Wycombe did not make a first-team debut a reality. The sacrifice would not be wasted as determination to make a career in England grew stronger, becoming a non-league stalwart, but always with an eye on what came next.
“Like Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final opponent, Chelsea’s head coach Liam Rosenior, Brady plotted a route to the dugout from early on, earning his B licence at the age of 23. Twenty-eight years later, he has managed more than 500 league games, in charge of Brackley and Northampton before joining League One’s bottom club in January, and embarking on a surprising Cup run…”
Jeff Sax has messaged in to say:
“The failure of the Chelsea ‘model’ reflects the total lack of understanding of football that the new ownership possess. This was highlighted by signing Rosenior to a 6-year contract.”
Port Vale last reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup 72 years ago. They faced Leyton Orient in the 1953-54 quarter-finals and clinched a 1-0 win to reach the semis.
Could that be a good omen for today?
Jacob Steinberg
“Trust the process. Ignore the haters. Promise that the trophies will come. Stay on brand. Disappear on international duty and issue a brazen come-and-get-me plea to Real Madrid. Suggest a move to Barcelona would be difficult to reject. Don’t silence the noise. Increase the noise. Question the club’s transfer policy. Say you miss the previous manager. Say Madrid is your favourite European city. Say it more than once. Hang on. Have we gone off-message here?”
Enzo Fernández was not the only Chelsea player to stir the pot during the international break. During a recent interview, full-back Marc Cucurella criticised the club’s decision to sack Enzo Maresca.
He told The Athletic: “We knew what Maresca wanted from us. Winning a title like the Club World Cup also helps, strengthens the bond, and you create great relationships during the celebrations. When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you’d die for him.
“The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season. The instability around the club comes from this, in a nutshell.”
Despite his comments, head coach Liam Rosenior decided against suspending Cucurella for any upcoming games. The Spaniard starts on the bench this evening.
Chelsea have lost every match since their FA Cup fifth-round victory over Wrexham. They lost 8-2 on aggregate across two games in the Champions League round-of-16 between Premier League defeats to Newcastle and Everton.
The FA Cup is now their only chance at silverware this season, so they need a big performance today.
You can read more on Enzo Fernández and his suspension here:
Chelsea will be without Enzo Fernández today due to a suspension. He is not suspended under FA rules, but due to his conduct. Blues head coach Liam Rosenior announced yesterday that Fernández will not be available today or next week because he “crossed a line” with recent comments about his future.
The midfielder first questioned if he would remain at Stamford Bridge beyond this season before suggesting he would like to live in Madrid.
In response, Rosenior said: “For Enzo, it’s disappointing to speak in that way. What I will say about Enzo is in terms of him as a character, as a person, I’ve got no bad words to say about him. But I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction and that was a decision we’ve made. The door is not closed on Enzo. That’s very important. It’s a sanction. You have to protect that culture. I think in terms of that, the line was crossed in the international break.”
Team news
Chelsea starting line-up: Robert Sánchez; Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Jorrel Hato; Roméo Lavia, Andrey Santos; Estêvão, Cole Palmer (C), Pedro Neto, João Pedro.
Substitutes: Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Josh Acheampong, Mamadou Sarr, Marc Cucurella, Dário Essugo, Moisés Caicedo, Alejandro Garnacho, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Liam Delap.
Port Vale starting line-up: Joe Gauci, Connor Hall, Jordan Gabriel, Cameron Humphreys, Kyle John, Liam Gordon; Ben Garrity (C), Rhys Walters, Funso Ojo; Ben Waine, Martin Sherif.
Substitutes: Ben Amos, Jayden Stockley, Ethon Archer, Ryan Croasdale, Jordan Shipley, Eli Campbell, George Hall, Tyler Magloire, Andre Gray.
Right, time for some team news…
Manchester City sailed through to the semi-finals with a huge 4-0 win over Liverpool earlier today. Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to send his team through, with Antoine Semenyo getting on the scoresheet as well. Goalkeeper James Trafford also played a huge part by saving a penalty from Mohamed Salah in the second half.
Preamble
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final clash between Chelsea and Port Vale. Wembley Stadium is within touching distance for both clubs this afternoon, with just 90 minutes (or 120 depending on how this plays out) between them and a day at the home of English football.
Premier League giants Chelsea are the overwhelming favourites for this one, with Port Vale struggling at the bottom of League One. However, the third-tier side stunned Sunderland to get here, so you can’t write them off.
Given Chelsea’s recent run of results, Port Vale will be hopeful of a huge upset at Stamford Bridge.
Kick-off for this one is at 5:15pm BST – join me!
