🔗 Share this article

Against a backdrop of sleet, flurries, and a swirling breeze from the waters of the Humber Estuary, combined with a determined home side fighting for a top-flight place, this presented all the ingredients of a challenging night's work for the visitors.

"We could have added to our tally but Hull are a strong team and it was a difficult tie; I am very pleased with the performance," he said. "Hull City is very special to me so it was great to get a good reception from the fans of fans. The application of the players was superb."

Liam Rosenior holds this city close to his heart, given some of his relatives hail from Hull and his enjoyable spell in management of the Championship club. This happy association was extended with a commanding performance from his squad, who ultimately strolled into the next round of the FA Cup.

Deadly Finishing Seals Comprehensive Victory

Three days removed from letting slip a 2-0 advantage in the Premier League, there was a hint of fragility about them going into this intriguing tie. The capacity home support evidently sensed it too, but the London side handled the challenge perfectly.

Rosenior made alterations, making seven of them to his starting lineup. The match could and maybe ought to have been settled long before it eventually was, with both the Brazilian winger and Liam Delap guilty of spurning glorious chances to put Chelsea in front in the opening period.

But, luckily for the visitors, their Portuguese attacker was in a much more clinical frame of mind. He opened the scoring with a marvellous long-range effort, which proved to be the spark for his team to assume control of proceedings. By the final whistle, they had 4 goals, with the forward scoring three of them for a superb three-goal haul.

Delap's Response and Impact

Hull displayed plenty of spirit all game, but the better chances always fell Chelsea’s way. The winger ought to have opened the deadlock when he rounded goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before unbelievably shooting over. Delap then had a comparable horror moment in front of goal against his former club.

He blocked a the goalkeeper's kick which came back from the crossbar, and he began to run away thinking the ball had gone over the line. It hadn’t, and by the time he realised, Hull's backline had reacted to clear the threat.

The player had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was immensely influential from there on out, registering three assists. The opening was for the first goal as his through ball teed up Neto to finish from outside the box. Shortly after the second half began, it was 2-0 as Neto's set-piece went straight in through Phillips's legs.

Contest Sealed and Attention Turns

Soon after the second, the match was put beyond doubt as a magnificent run from the forward teed up Estêvão to slide into an unguarded goal. The hat-trick hero then finished his treble as Delap once again delivered the crucial ball for the striker to coolly slot by a stranded Phillips.

By that stage, the work Hull had put in in the opening half-hour had been forgotten. Their focus must now return to achieving a return to the top division under Sergej Jakirovic, who rested a number of key players with that aim in mind.

"I think we deserved at least one goal but if we play like this we will be in a strong position in the Championship," the Hull manager commented. "Never surrender, maybe in the next games this can be a good example of how we must play."

Hull showed great effort to the final whistle, and they almost got a consolation when Lewis Koumas hit a the upright in injury time. But this was the Blues' evening, and another positive step forward for their recently-appointed head coach at a place he knows very well.

Cup Omens Are Good

The result made for an ultimately straightforward evening’s work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are good from here for Chelsea. They have played Hull on three previous occasions in this competition in the past ten years and on each occasion, they have progressed to reach the showpiece. Much still done in that respect, but this was another huge tick for Rosenior.