Head-to-head

This is our first game against Port Vale in 97 years. None previously have been in the FA Cup, as all 14 past meetings were in Division Two between 1905 and 1929.

Chelsea and Port Vale are playing each other for the first time since a Second Division match in April 1929, won 1-0 by the Valiants at their Recreation Ground.

The most recent encounter between Chelsea and Port Vale at Stamford Bridge, held in November 1928, ended in a 3-3 draw. Chelsea have secured victories in each of the other six matches played at the Bridge against the Valiants.

In our debut season in the Second Division, Willie Foulke saved four penalties. Two of those came within minutes of each other at the end of our 7-0 home victory over Burslem Port Vale.

Scottish international Jock Cameron is the only player to transfer directly between the clubs, making his move from Chelsea to Port Vale in 1913. He played 194 games for the Blues. Both Joe Allon and Steve Livingstone moved from the London club to Port Vale on loan in 1991 and 1993 respectively.

Head-to-head (all competitions)

Played: 14
Won: 7
Drawn: 4
Lost: 3

Last five meetings at Stamford Bridge

11 Apr 1925 | Division Two | W 1-0 Whitton
16 Jan 1926 | Division Two | W 3-1 Thain, Turnbull, McNeil
16 May 1927 | Division Two | W 2-0 Thain, Wilson
7 Apr 1928 | Division Two | W 1-0 Crawford
24 Nov 1928 | Division Two | D 3-3 Biswell 2, Thain

Biggest win for each team:

Chelsea 7-0 Burslem Port Vale - 1905/06 Division Two
Burslem Port Vale 2-0 Chelsea - 1906/07 Division Two

Chelsea stats

Chelsea have lifted the FA Cup eight times. Only Arsenal (14) and Manchester United (13) have claimed the trophy on more occasions. We last won the Cup in 2018, with Antonio Conte's Blues defeating Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley courtesy of a penalty from Eden Hazard.

In 1915, we were the first Football League club from the capital to reach an FA Cup final.

Chelsea have advanced from our past six FA Cup quarter-final ties and nine of our last 10. Our most recent exit at this stage was a 2-0 defeat at Everton in 2016. Overall, we have progressed from 27 of our 40 quarter-final ties in the competition.

Our last FA Cup quarter-final defeat at home was against Arsenal in 2003.

The Blues have progressed from 64 of our past 66 FA Cup ties against sides from a lower division, including the last 25 in a row.

The last team from a lower division to beat the Blues in the FA Cup was Bradford City in the fourth round in 2015 at Stamford Bridge. The Bantams were sixth in League One at the time and ended our run of 12 successive home victories by winning 4-2.

This is only the fourth time Chelsea have met a side from the third tier in an FA Cup quarter-final tie. The earlier three games were:

Peterborough | 1964/65 (h) | W 5-1
Hull City | 1965/66 (h) | D 2-2, (a) W 3-1
Gillingham | 1999/2000 (h) | W 5-0

This is the first time this season we have been drawn at home in a single-leg League Cup or FA Cup tie.

Chelsea are the first league team to score four or more goals in three away games in an FA Cup campaign since Derby County managed it in 1945/46.

Chelsea in the FA Cup this season

Charlton Athletic – first meeting for 19 years – W 5-1
Hull City – first meeting for six years - W 4-0
Wrexham – first meeting for 44 years – W 4-2 aet
Port Vale – first meeting for 97 years

Chelsea's last five home FA Cup matches

Among all Premier League players, Joao Pedro (11) has scored the most goals in all competitions in 2026.

Chelsea are looking to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat for the first time since April/May 2023 under Frank Lampard (a run of six).

We are also aiming to improve on our record of one clean sheet in our past 15 matches in all competitions.

Chelsea won our last penalty shoot-out 4-2 against Newcastle in a League Cup quarter-final in December 2023, having lost the previous two in 2022 in the League Cup and FA Cup finals.

The semi-finals are scheduled to be played at Wembley over the weekend of 25/26 April. If Chelsea progress, our league game at Brighton on Sunday 26 April will be re-arranged.

Milestones

The game against Port Vale is our 50th of the season and 114th since the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign.

Enzo Fernandez has played the most games this term (46/49) followed by Pedro Neto (44) and Joao Pedro (43).

We need four more goals to reach a 100 for the season.

Port Vale stats

Founded: 1876
Nickname: The Valiants
Colours: White shirts, black shorts
Ground: Vale Park, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent
Capacity: 16,800
Best league season: Fifth in the old Second Division (second tier) in 1930/31
Best FA Cup season: Semi-finalists in 1953/54

Last season

League Two: Second (promoted)
FA Cup: Lost 3-1 at home to Barnsley in the first round
League Cup: Lost 3-2 away to Barrow in the first round
EFL Trophy: Lost 4-1 at home to Wrexham in the round of 16
Top scorer (all competitions): Lorent Tolaj 15

Port Vale have reached the FA Cup quarter-final for only the second time in their history (also in 1953/54), and they have eliminated a Premier League opponent (Sunderland) from the competition for the first time since 1995/96, when they beat Everton in the fourth round.

They have never played top-flight football, and hold the record for the most seasons in the English Football League (113) without reaching the first tier.

Port Vale were promoted to League One last summer after finishing second in League Two. They are currently 24th on 31 points, 14 points from safety with eight games to play.

Since the turn of the year, the Valiants have won three and lost five of their eight away games in all competitions. Their 4-0 loss at Wycombe Wanderers last weekend made it three consecutive away defeats.

Their top scorers in all competitions this term are Devante Cole and Ben Waine, each with eight goals.

Port Vale are the first league team to win four consecutive FA Cup games 1-0 at home.

Vale’s run to the FA Cup quarter-finals

First round | Maldon & Tiptree (h) | W 5-1
Second round | Bristol Rovers (h) | W 1-0
Third round | Fleetwood Town (h) | W 1-0
Fourth round | Bristol City (h) | W 1-0 aet
Fifth round | Sunderland (h) | W 1-0

Port Vale lost their only penalty shoot-out this season to Fleetwood, in October in the Football League Trophy.

Former manager Darren Moore was sacked on 28 December and was replaced by Jon Brady on 6 January. Brady has neither played nor managed a team against Chelsea.

Last five Port Vale results (all League One)

Huddersfield Town (h) D 0-0
Blackpool (a) L 2-3
Bolton Wanderers (h) W 1-0
Doncaster Rovers (a) L 0-1
Wycombe Wanderers (a) L 0-4

FA Cup fifth round line-up

Sunday 8 March
Port Vale 1 Sunderland 0
Team (5-4-1): Gauci; Gabriel, John (c), Humphreys (Magloire h/t), C Hall, Gordon (Campbell 81); Waine (Ward 88), Walters, Ojo, Archer (G Hall 57); Brown (Gray 57)
Booked: Brown 30, Waine 54
Scorer: Waine 28

Match officials

Referee: Farai Hallam
Assistants: Richard West, Steven Meredith
Fourth official: Andy Madley
VAR: Neil Davies
Additional VAR: Peter Bankes

Farai Hallam is officiating his second Chelsea match this season, having previously refereed our 4-0 win at Hull in the FA Cup fourth round in February.

VAR is in operation for all fixtures in this round.