Cole Palmer said it had been a “long time coming” after he was handed the Chelsea captaincy for the first time in Saturday’s FA Cup mauling of Port Vale.
With Reece James out with a hamstring injury and club vice-captain Enzo Fernández suspended internally for flirting with Real Madrid, the England international led the Blues as they cleared a path to Wembley by demolishing the League One strugglers 7-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The result brought a degree of calm back to Stamford Bridge following four straight defeats and Fernandez’s indiscretions during the international break.
The tie was done by half-time following early goals from Jorrel Hato and João Pedro before Palmer forced a Vale own-goal before the break. Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Estêvão piled in after the interval as Chelsea racked up their tally, then Alejandro Garnacho twisted the knife with a stoppage-time penalty.
“Long time coming,” Palmer SAID of the decision by Liam Rosenior to make him skipper for the day. “It was a proud moment being captain. I enjoyed it and it was a good afternoon.
“We needed to win. It was a difficult four games but to get to a semi-final at Wembley was very important.”
Avoiding cup humiliation against the team bottom of the third tier brought huge relief for Rosenior after what he had called the most difficult 10 days of his career before the international break.
Chelsea suffered their joint-heaviest aggregate European loss as Paris Saint-Germain humbled them 8-2 whilst back-to-back Premier League defeats against Newcastle and Everton damaged their chances of returning to the Champions League.
The atmosphere in west London was bitter the last time the team played at home — a 3-0 loss to PSG — and Rosenior took no chances against Vale in sending out something close to his strongest available XI.
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Gibbs: Chelsea’s huge Port Vale win ‘a step in the right direction’
Kieran Gibbs reacts to Chelsea’s much-needed FA Cup win over Port Vale after an eventful week off the pitch.
There was also the pleasing sight of seven different goalscorers as the Blues set up a Wembley date at the end of April.
“It’s nice to see everyone getting involved (with the goals) and laughing, joking and smiling after the game,” Palmer said.
“I think it will give everyone a lift. Playing, winning and scoring goals is good for everyone. Getting back to that winning feeling was nice and hopefully we can take that on to Manchester City [in the league].”
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For Vale boss Jon Brady and his players, all that remains in a bitter-sweet season is for near-certain relegation to League Two to be rubber-stamped.
Bottom of the table, they are currently 15 points short of the safety mark with only eight games remaining.
Reflecting on the gulf his side faced, Brady said: “Overall, where we’re at and where they’re at, they’ve got Argentinian and Brazilian and Portuguese internationals at the top of their game, getting ready for the World Cup.
“They’ve just come back from international games and it shows the levels — and the inspiration.”
