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Against a backdrop of sleet, flurries, and a swirling breeze off the waters of the Humber, combined with a resolute Hull City side fighting for promotion, this had all the makings of a difficult evening’s work for Chelsea.

"We could have added to our tally but the opposition are a good team and it was a tough tie; I am delighted with the performance," the manager stated. "Hull City means a lot to me so it was great to get a good welcome from both sets of fans. The application of the players was excellent."

Liam Chelsea manager has this place close to his heart, considering part of his relatives hail from Hull and his enjoyable period in management of the Tigers. His positive association was extended with a magnificent performance from his team, who ultimately strolled into the next round of the FA Cup.

Deadly Edge Seals Comprehensive Victory

Seventy-two hours removed from surrendering a two-goal lead in the league, there was a sniff of vulnerability about Chelsea going into this intriguing cup clash. The capacity Hull crowd clearly felt it too, but the London side handled the challenge perfectly.

The manager made alterations, making seven of them to his starting lineup. The tie could and maybe should have been settled long before it eventually was, with two Estêvão Willian and Liam Delap at fault for missing glorious chances to put Chelsea in front in the first half.

However, fortunately for the away team, their Portuguese attacker was in a far more clinical frame of mind. He broke the deadlock with a spectacular distance effort, which acted as the catalyst for his team to take command of proceedings. By the final whistle, they had four, with the forward netting three of them for a superb three-goal haul.

Delap's Response and Impact

The home side displayed plenty of spirit all game, but the clearer chances always came Chelsea’s way. The winger ought to have opened the deadlock when he rounded keeper the Hull stopper before unbelievably firing over. Delap then had a similar horror moment in front of goal against his former club.

He deflected a the goalkeeper's clearance which came back from the crossbar, and he started to run away thinking the ball had crossed the line. It had not, and by the time he realised, Hull's defenders had reacted to clear the danger.

Delap had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was immensely influential from that point onward, registering three key passes. The first was for the opening goal as his pass teed up Neto to score from range. Shortly after the restart, it was two as Neto's set-piece went directly in under Phillips's legs.

Contest Sealed and Focus Turns

Seven minutes after Neto’s second goal, the match was effectively ended as a magnificent run from the forward laid on his teammate to tap into an unguarded goal. The hat-trick hero then completed his treble as the provider again delivered the crucial pass for the striker to coolly convert by a helpless goalkeeper.

At that point, the work Hull had done in the first half-hour had long since forgotten. Their priority must now return to securing a return to the Premier League under their manager, who rested 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 position in the Championship," the Hull manager commented. "Never surrender, maybe in the upcoming matches this can be a good example of how we must play."

There was plenty of endeavour to the final whistle, and they nearly got a late goal when a substitute struck a the upright in stoppage time. But this was Chelsea’s evening, and another encouraging step forward for their recently-appointed manager at a stadium he knows very well.

Cup History Look Promising

The result resulted in an in the end routine night's work, and the cup competition omens are positive from here for Chelsea. They have faced Hull on three other times in this competition in the last decade and every single time, they have gone on to make the showpiece. Much remains to be work in that regard, but this was another huge tick for Rosenior.