Chelsea have booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley after demolishing Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
It's exactly the result Liam Rosenior's side needed after a torrid run of four consecutive defeats.
The international break brought its own headaches too, with the club announcing record financial losses and both Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella finding themselves in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
But this emphatic victory over the League One basement club provides a welcome lift heading into the business end of the season.
Chelsea are now chasing their first FA Cup triumph since 2018 alongside a top-five Premier League finish.
Any hopes of a giant-killing from a Vale side sitting 61 places below Chelsea in the football pyramid were crushed within 64 seconds.
Jorrel Hato pounced after goalkeeper Joe Gauci made a mess of a punch to give the hosts an immediate lead.
Port Vale, who had pulled off a stunning upset against Premier League Sunderland in the previous round, looked like they might settle into the match.
Chelsea returned to winning ways after beating Port Vale
|REUTERS
But sloppy defending from Liam Gordon gifted Pedro Neto the chance to set up Joao Pedro, who finished smartly.
Cole Palmer, sporting the captain's armband, then turned in a third just before the break after Malo Gusto's effort was saved.
Chelsea turned up the intensity after the interval and the goals kept flowing.
Tosin rose highest to power home a header for the fourth after Estevao had rattled the post.
The Brazilian youngster struck the woodwork a second time before Andrey Santos nodded in unmarked to make it five.
Estevao finally got the goal his performance deserved, though he had to endure a lengthy VAR review before officials overturned an initial offside decision following Alejandro Garnacho's shot against the post.
Garnacho then wrapped things up himself, earning a penalty from Tyler Magloire and converting it with the final kick of the afternoon.
Jorrel Hato opened the scoring after just 62 seconds for Chelsea
|REUTERS
It was a brutal conclusion to what had been a remarkable journey for Port Vale, who reached their first FA Cup quarter-final in 72 years.
With relegation from League One looking increasingly inevitable, manager Jon Brady will be hoping this cup adventure can serve as motivation for a summer rebuild.
For Chelsea, attention quickly turns to next Sunday when Manchester City arrive at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Rosenior will be banking on this confidence-boosting thrashing to spark his squad into life as they chase Champions League qualification and silverware in the weeks ahead.