Port Vale's FA Cup dreams were crushed in a 7-0 quarterfinal loss to Chelsea, with the League One strugglers unable to contain the Premier League side's attacking prowess. The match was played on April 4, 2026, at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea's near-full-strength team taking on Port Vale's League One side. The head coach, Liam Rosenior, sent out a near-full-strength team, with the notable exception of Enzo Fernández, who was suspended internally over his flirtations with Real Madrid. Chelsea's Jorrel Hato scored the opening goal after just 64 seconds, with the winger whacking the ball on the volley through a crowd and in. The match was effectively over midway through the first half, with Chelsea's João Pedro scoring in the 25th minute and Cole Palmer forcing an own goal from Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel to make it three by the break. The second half saw Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, and Estêvão add three more goals, before Alejandro Garnacho converted a stoppage-time penalty to ensure a path to silverware remained open amidst all the lingering doubts about the club's present direction. For Jon Brady's side, all that remains in a bitter-sweet season is for near-certain relegation to League Two to be rubber-stamped.