🔗 Share this article

Against a backdrop of sleet, snow, and a biting wind off the banks of the Humber, combined with a determined home side pushing hard for promotion, this presented all the ingredients of a difficult evening’s task for Chelsea.

"We might have scored more but the opposition are a good team and it was a tough fixture; I’m very pleased with the display," the manager stated. "This club is very special to me so it was great to get a positive welcome from the fans of supporters. The application of the players was superb."

Liam Chelsea manager holds this place close to his heart, considering some of his relatives are from Hull and his enjoyable spell in charge of the Tigers. This positive association was extended with a commanding display from his squad, who in the end sauntered into the fifth round of the famous old competition.

Clinical Edge Secures Comprehensive Victory

Seventy-two hours removed from surrendering a two-goal advantage in the league, there was a hint of vulnerability about them going into this intriguing cup clash. The capacity Hull crowd clearly felt it too, but Rosenior's men navigated the task with ease.

The manager rang the changes, enacting multiple of them to his XI. The tie could and perhaps ought to have been decided long before it eventually was, with two Estêvão Willian and the forward guilty of spurning glorious opportunities to put their side in front in the opening period.

But, fortunately for the visitors, Pedro Neto was in a far more clinical frame of mind. He opened the deadlock with a marvellous long-range strike, which proved to be the catalyst for his team to take command of the match. By the final whistle, they had four, with Neto netting a trio of them for a superb three-goal haul.

The Forward's Response and Influence

Hull showed plenty of fight all game, but the clearer opportunities always fell to the visitors. The winger should have broken the deadlock when he rounded goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before unbelievably shooting over. Delap then had a similar nightmare moment in front of goal against his former club.

He deflected a the goalkeeper's kick which came back from the crossbar, and he began to celebrate believing the ball had gone over the line. It hadn’t, and by the time he understood, Hull's defenders had responded to avert the threat.

Delap had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was hugely influential from that point onward, providing three key passes. The opening was for the opening goal as his pass set up Neto to finish from outside the box. Shortly after the second half began, it was 2-0 as Neto's corner went straight in through the keeper's legs.

Contest Put Beyond Doubt and Focus Turns

Seven minutes after the second, the tie was put beyond doubt as a magnificent run from Delap laid on Estêvão to slide into an unguarded goal. The hat-trick hero then completed his hat-trick as the provider once again delivered the crucial ball for the striker to coolly slot past a stranded Phillips.

At that point, the effort Hull had done in the opening half-hour had long since forgotten. Their priority must now return to securing a promotion to the top division under Sergej Jakirovic, who left out several first-choice individuals with that aim in mind.

"I think we earned at least one goal but if we perform like this we will be in a strong position in the league," the Hull manager commented. "Never surrender, maybe in the upcoming matches this can be a positive lesson of how we should play."

Hull showed plenty of endeavour to the final whistle, and they almost got a late goal when Lewis Koumas struck a post in injury time. But this was Chelsea’s night, and another encouraging step forward for their new head coach at a place he is familiar with intimately.

FA Cup Omens Look Promising

That resulted in an in the end routine night's work, and the cup competition signs are positive from here for the winners. They have faced Hull on three previous times in this competition in the past ten years and every single time, they have progressed to reach the final. Much remains to be work in that regard, but this was another huge positive for the Chelsea boss.