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Amid freezing rain, flurries, and a biting breeze from the banks of the Humber, combined with a determined Hull City side fighting for promotion, this had all the ingredients of a difficult evening’s task for Chelsea.

"We could have scored more but Hull are a good team and it was a tough tie; I’m delighted with the display," the manager stated. "Hull City is very special to me so it was great to get a positive reception from both sets of fans. The attitude of the lads was excellent."

Liam Rosenior has this city dear to him, considering part of his family are from Hull and his enjoyable spell in management of the Championship club. His positive connection continued with a commanding performance from his squad, who ultimately sauntered into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Deadly Finishing Secures Comprehensive Win

Three days after surrendering a two-goal advantage in the Premier League, there was a hint of vulnerability about Chelsea going into this potentially tricky cup clash. The packed Hull crowd evidently sensed it too, but the London side navigated the task with ease.

The manager rang the changes, making multiple of them to his XI. The tie could and perhaps should have been decided earlier than it eventually was, with two Estêvão Willian and the forward guilty of missing excellent chances to put Chelsea ahead in the first half.

But, fortunately for the visitors, Pedro Neto was in a far more clinical mood. He broke the deadlock with a marvellous long-range effort, which acted as the spark for Chelsea to take control of proceedings. By the final whistle, they had 4 goals, with Neto netting three of them for a superb three-goal haul.

Delap's Redemption and Impact

Hull displayed great spirit all game, but the clearer chances always came Chelsea’s way. The winger should have broken the scoring when he rounded goalkeeper the Hull stopper before inexplicably shooting over. The striker then had a comparable horror incident in front of goal against his former club.

He deflected a the goalkeeper's clearance which came off the bar, and he started to celebrate believing the ball had crossed the line. It hadn’t, and by the time he understood, Hull's defenders had reacted to avert the threat.

The player had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was immensely influential from that point onward, registering three key passes. The first was for the first goal as his pass set up his teammate to finish from outside the box. Six minutes after the second half began, it was two as the forward's set-piece went straight in under Phillips's legs.

Contest Put Beyond Doubt and Attention Shifts

Soon after Neto’s second, the match was put beyond doubt as a dazzling dribble from Delap laid on his teammate to tap into an empty net. The hat-trick hero then finished his hat-trick as the provider again delivered the decisive pass for the attacker to coolly slot by a stranded Phillips.

At that point, the work Hull had done in the opening half-hour had long since erased. Their priority must now return to securing a return to the top division under Sergej Jakirovic, who rested several key players with that goal in mind.

"I think we deserved at least one goal but if we perform like this we will be in a very good situation in the Championship," the Hull manager commented. "Keep fighting, maybe in the next games this can be a good example of how we must play."

There was plenty of endeavour to the end, and they nearly claimed a late goal when Lewis Koumas hit a post in stoppage time. But this was Chelsea’s evening, and another positive step forward for their new head coach at a place he knows intimately.

Cup Omens Look Promising

The result resulted in an in the end routine night's work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are positive from here for the winners. They have faced Hull on three other occasions in this tournament in the last decade and on each occasion, they have gone on to reach the final. There is remains to be work in that respect, but this was another huge tick for Rosenior.