🔗 Share this article

Against a backdrop of sleet, flurries, and a biting wind off the waters of the Humber Estuary, alongside a resolute home side fighting for promotion, this presented all the makings of a difficult evening’s task for the visitors.

"We might have added to our tally but Hull are a strong team and it was a difficult tie; I am delighted with the display," the manager stated. "Hull City means a lot to me so it was great to get a good welcome from the fans of supporters. The application of the players was superb."

Liam Chelsea manager holds this place close to his heart, given part of his relatives hail from Hull and his successful spell in management of the Tigers. His positive association was extended with a magnificent display from his squad, who in the end sauntered into the next round of the famous old competition.

Deadly Finishing Secures Comfortable Win

Seventy-two hours after letting slip a 2-0 lead in the Premier League, there was a hint of fragility about them going into this potentially tricky tie. The packed home crowd evidently felt it too, but Rosenior's men navigated the task with ease.

Rosenior rang the changes, enacting seven of them to his XI. The tie could and perhaps should have been decided earlier than it actually was, with both Estêvão Willian and the forward guilty of missing excellent chances to put Chelsea ahead in the first half.

But, luckily for the away team, their Portuguese attacker was in a much more clinical mood. He broke the scoring with a spectacular distance strike, which acted as the spark for his team to assume command of the match. By the final whistle, they had 4 goals, with Neto scoring three of them for a brilliant hat-trick.

The Forward's Response and Influence

Hull showed plenty of spirit all game, but the better opportunities consistently came Chelsea’s way. The winger should have opened the scoring when he rounded goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before unbelievably shooting over. The striker then had a similar nightmare incident in front of goal against his former club.

He blocked a the goalkeeper's kick which bounced off the crossbar, and he began to run away thinking the ball had crossed the line. It had not, and by the time he realised, Hull's backline had responded to clear the danger.

Delap had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was hugely influential from that point onward, registering three key passes. The opening was for the first goal as his pass set up Neto to score from range. Six minutes after the restart, it was 2-0 as Neto's set-piece went straight in under Phillips's legs.

Contest Sealed and Attention Shifts

Soon after Neto’s second goal, the tie was put beyond doubt as a dazzling dribble from Delap teed up his teammate to slide into an unguarded goal. The hat-trick hero then completed his hat-trick as Delap again delivered the decisive pass for the striker to coolly convert by a stranded goalkeeper.

At that point, the effort Hull had done in the opening half-hour had long since erased. Their focus must now return to achieving a return to the top division under their manager, who left out several first-choice individuals with that goal in mind.

"In my opinion we deserved at least one goal but if we play like this we will be in a strong position in the league," the Hull manager commented. "Keep fighting, maybe in the next matches this can be a positive example of how we must play."

Hull showed plenty of endeavour to the final whistle, and they nearly got a late goal when a substitute hit a the upright in stoppage time. But this was the Blues' evening, and another encouraging step forward for their recently-appointed manager at a stadium he is familiar with very well.

FA Cup Omens Are Good

That resulted in an ultimately routine night's work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are good from here for Chelsea. They have played Hull on three other times in this tournament in the last decade and every single time, they have gone on to make the showpiece. There is remains to be work in that respect, but this was another huge positive for Rosenior.