Port Vale’s starting eleven was assembled at no cost, comprising eight free agents, two players on loan, and one talent nurtured through their academy.

In contrast, Chelsea’s lineup was valued at an astounding £439.8 million, including add-ons, even without their £106.8 million midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was sidelined due to disciplinary reasons.

Although it seemed inevitable that Chelsea would halt Vale’s impressive FA Cup run—money often sways the balance in these 11-a-side encounters—there lingered an unsettling “What if?” for manager Liam Rosenior.

Rosenior opted for a cautious approach against the League One underdogs by fielding a strong team, albeit without Fernandez. The midfielder was serving a self-imposed two-match suspension after openly courting Real Madrid during the international break.

The 25-year-old Argentine was present at the match, seated behind the substitutes’ bench, enjoying a cup of tea, sharing laughs with Marc Cucurella, and donning a £420 baseball cap. His absence on the field didn’t hinder Chelsea’s performance, as his teammates ensured a smooth quarter-final victory, paving their way to Wembley.

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 have a squad of players who, like me, still believe we can achieve an exceptional season by winning the FA Cup and securing a spot in the Champions League,” Rosenior stated confidently.

‘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.