🔗 Share this article

Against a backdrop of freezing rain, snow, and a swirling wind off the waters of the Humber, combined with a determined Hull City side pushing hard for a top-flight place, this had all the makings of a challenging night's task for Chelsea.

"We could have scored more but the opposition are a strong team and it was a tough tie; I am very pleased with the display," he said. "This club means a lot to me so it was nice to get a positive welcome from the fans of supporters. The application of the lads was excellent."

The Rosenior holds this city dear to him, considering some of his family hail from Hull and his successful spell in charge of the Championship club. His positive association continued with a commanding display from his squad, who in the end strolled into the next round of the FA Cup.

Clinical Finishing Secures Comfortable Win

Seventy-two hours after letting slip a two-goal lead in the Premier League, there was a hint of vulnerability about Chelsea going into this intriguing cup clash. The capacity Hull support evidently sensed it too, but Rosenior's men handled the task perfectly.

The manager rang the changes, enacting multiple of them to his XI. The tie might and maybe should have been settled earlier than it eventually was, with both Estêvão Willian and the forward at fault for missing excellent chances to put Chelsea in front in the opening period.

However, fortunately for the away team, Pedro Neto was in a much more clinical mood. He broke the deadlock with a marvellous distance effort, which acted as the catalyst for Chelsea to take command of proceedings. By the final whistle, they had 4 goals, with the forward netting three of them for a brilliant three-goal haul.

Delap's Response and Influence

Hull displayed plenty of spirit all game, but the clearer chances always fell Chelsea’s way. The winger should have broken the deadlock when he went past keeper the Hull stopper before unbelievably firing over. The striker then had a similar horror incident in front of goal against his former club.

He blocked a Phillips's kick which bounced off the crossbar, and Delap started to celebrate believing the ball had crossed the line. It had not, and by the time he understood, Hull's backline had reacted to avert the danger.

The player had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was immensely instrumental from there on out, providing 3 assists. The first was for the opening goal as his pass teed up his teammate to finish from range. Six minutes after the restart, it was two as the forward's set-piece went directly in through the keeper's legs.

Contest Sealed and Attention Shifts

Soon after the second, the tie was effectively ended as a magnificent run from Delap laid on his teammate to tap into an unguarded goal. Neto then finished his treble as the provider once again played the decisive ball for the striker to calmly slot past a stranded Phillips.

By that stage, the work Hull had done in the first thirty minutes had been erased. Their priority must now return to securing a return to the Premier League under their manager, who rested a number of key players 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 position in the league," he said. "Never surrender, maybe in the upcoming matches this can be a positive example of how we must play."

There was plenty of endeavour to the final whistle, and they nearly got a consolation when a substitute hit a post in stoppage time. But this was the Blues' night, and another positive stride for their recently-appointed manager at a place he knows very well.

Cup Omens Look Promising

The result made for an in the end straightforward evening’s work, and the cup competition omens are good from here for Chelsea. They have played Hull on three other occasions in this tournament in the past ten years and every single time, they have gone on to reach the showpiece. There is remains to be done in that respect, but this was another significant positive for the Chelsea boss.