Chelsea answered recent criticism with a ruthless performance, beating Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge to reach the FA Cup semi-finals and ease pressure after a troubled spell that also involved difficult selection decisions for Liam Rosenior.

The victory carried strong historical weight for both clubs and the competition. Chelsea became the first team to hit seven goals in an FA Cup quarter-final since Liverpool beat Birmingham City 7-0 in the 2005-06 season, while Port Vale suffered the heaviest defeat in the club’s FA Cup proper history.

The scoreline also sat close to a long-standing Chelsea landmark. The club have only achieved a bigger FA Cup margin once, a 9-1 win over Worksop Town in 1908, underlining how dominant this performance was from the Premier League side against League One’s bottom team.

Rosenior highlighted how the players translated the game plan into intensity on the pitch. Speaking to TNT Sports, Rosenior said: “Football is about football on the pitch. This is a huge club with a lot of scrutiny, a lot of people writing a lot of things. We had a really difficult 10 days, but the way we came through is a really good step for the run-in. This is why you come to this club, you want to win trophies, you want to be in big games, and I was really happy with the players. Their attitude was top. We scored seven goals and that came from an energy and intensity that I enjoyed. I said, ‘play like it’s 0-0; we have to be perfect’. I thought the players were outstanding in terms of carrying that out.”

The head coach’s comments reflected a wider context around Chelsea’s week. The club faced strong external scrutiny, yet Rosenior stressed the need to focus on performance, trophies and big occasions, presenting the emphatic win as a positive sign for the closing stages of the season.

Team selection also drew attention. Enzo Fernandez was left out of the squad after remarks during the international break in which Fernandez indicated an openness to joining Real Madrid, and Rosenior confirmed Fernandez will not feature against Manchester City next weekend, while Marc Cucurella will face no disciplinary action despite questioning the decision to part company with former head coach Enzo Maresca in January.

On the other side, Port Vale manager Darren Moore balanced disappointment with admiration for the effort shown. Moore said: “We put ourselves under extreme pressure by conceding in the first minute. There were three set-pieces, which we didn’t defend well enough, he said. Very frustrating. It shows in the end. To keep it at four or five would have been respectable, but to concede the last two was a bit of a gut punch. I’m proud of the players overall. It shows how ruthless the players are at this level and it’s something we can strive towards. It’s a fantastic achievement what we did. We beat a Premier League team [Sunderland] and a Championship team [Bristol City] in one week. We know our fate has probably been sealed to League Two and we have to come back fighting next year.”

Moore’s words underlined Port Vale’s wider cup journey, which included wins over Sunderland and Bristol City in the same week, and the manager pointed to the gap in ruthlessness against Chelsea while also accepting that Port Vale are likely to drop into League Two next season and must respond strongly.

The result leaves Chelsea preparing for an FA Cup semi-final with renewed confidence after a turbulent 10 days, while Port Vale leave the competition with valuable experience from facing top-flight opposition and clear targets for improvement as the club heads towards a likely League Two campaign.