🔗 Share this article

Amid sleet, flurries, and a swirling breeze off the waters of the Humber Estuary, alongside a resolute Hull City side pushing hard for a top-flight place, this presented all the ingredients of a challenging night's task for Chelsea.

"We might have added to our tally but the opposition are a strong team and it was a difficult fixture; I am very pleased with the performance," the manager stated. "Hull City is very special to me so it was nice to get a good welcome from the fans of supporters. The application of the lads was superb."

Liam Chelsea manager has this place close to his heart, given some of his relatives hail from Hull and his enjoyable period in charge of the Championship club. His happy association was extended with a magnificent performance from his team, who in the end sauntered into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Deadly Finishing Seals Comfortable Win

Three days removed from letting slip a 2-0 advantage in the league, there was a hint of fragility about them going into this potentially tricky tie. The packed home support evidently sensed it too, but Rosenior's men navigated the challenge perfectly.

Rosenior made alterations, making multiple of them to his starting lineup. The match might and perhaps ought to have been settled long before it actually was, with two the Brazilian winger and the forward at fault for missing glorious opportunities to put their side ahead in the opening period.

However, luckily for the visitors, Pedro Neto was in a far more clinical frame of mind. He broke the deadlock with a spectacular distance strike, which acted as the spark for Chelsea to assume command of the match. By the final whistle, they had 4 goals, with the forward netting a trio of them for a superb three-goal haul.

Delap's Redemption and Influence

Hull displayed plenty of spirit throughout, but the clearer chances always came Chelsea’s way. The winger should have opened the deadlock when he went past keeper Dillon Phillips before inexplicably shooting over. The striker then had a similar nightmare incident in front of goal against his old team.

He blocked a Phillips's clearance which came back from the bar, and he began to run away thinking the ball had gone over the line. It had not, and by the time he understood, Hull's defenders had reacted to avert the threat.

Delap had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was immensely instrumental from that point onward, providing 3 assists. The opening was for the first goal as his through ball set up Neto to score from range. Shortly after the second half began, it was two as Neto's set-piece went straight in under the keeper's legs.

Contest Sealed and Focus Turns

Soon after the second goal, the tie was put beyond doubt as a dazzling run from the forward teed up Estêvão to tap into an empty net. The hat-trick hero then finished his hat-trick as the provider once again delivered the crucial ball for the striker to coolly convert past a stranded goalkeeper.

By that stage, the effort Hull had put in in the opening thirty minutes had long since erased. Their focus must now return to securing a return to the Premier League under their manager, who left out a number of key individuals with that goal in mind.

"I think we earned at least one goal but if we play like this we will be in a strong situation in the Championship," the Hull manager commented. "Keep fighting, maybe in the next games this can be a good example of how we should play."

There was great effort to the final whistle, and they nearly got a late goal when a substitute struck a post in stoppage time. But this was Chelsea’s night, and another positive stride for their new head coach at a stadium he knows intimately.

Cup History Look Promising

The result resulted in an in the end routine evening’s performance, and the FA Cup-shaped omens are positive from here for the winners. They have faced Hull on three other occasions in this tournament in the past ten years and every single time, they have gone on to make the showpiece. Much remains to be work in that respect, but this was another significant positive for the Chelsea boss.