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Amid freezing rain, flurries, and a biting breeze from the waters of the Humber Estuary, combined with a resolute Hull City side fighting for promotion, this had all the makings of a difficult night's task for Chelsea.

"We could have scored more but Hull are a strong team and it was a difficult fixture; I’m very pleased with the display," the manager stated. "This club is very special to me so it was nice to get a positive reception from the fans of supporters. The attitude of the lads was superb."

Liam Chelsea manager holds this place dear to him, considering part of his relatives are from Hull and his successful period in management of the Championship club. This positive connection was extended with a commanding display from his squad, who in the end sauntered into the fifth round of the famous old competition.

Deadly Finishing Seals Comprehensive Win

Three days removed from letting slip a two-goal advantage in the league, there was a sniff of fragility about them going into this potentially tricky cup clash. The packed home support clearly felt it too, but the London side handled the task perfectly.

The manager made alterations, making multiple of them to his starting lineup. The tie might and perhaps ought to have been decided long before it actually was, with both Estêvão Willian and the forward at fault for missing glorious opportunities to put their side in front in the opening period.

However, fortunately for the visitors, Pedro Neto was in a far more clinical mood. He opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range strike, which proved to be the spark for his team to assume command of proceedings. By full time, they had 4 goals, with Neto netting three of them for a superb three-goal haul.

The Forward's Response and Impact

The home side displayed great spirit all game, but the better opportunities always fell Chelsea’s way. Estêvão ought to have broken the scoring when he went past goalkeeper the Hull stopper before inexplicably shooting over. The striker then had a comparable nightmare incident in front of goal against his old team.

He blocked a the goalkeeper's kick which bounced off the bar, and he began to run away believing the ball had gone over 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 there on out, providing three assists. The first was for the opening goal as his pass set up his teammate to score from outside the box. Shortly after the restart, it was 2-0 as the forward's set-piece went straight in through the keeper's legs.

Tie Sealed and Focus Shifts

Seven minutes after the second, the match was put beyond doubt as a magnificent dribble from Delap teed up Estêvão to tap into an empty net. Neto then completed his treble as the provider once again played the decisive ball for the striker to coolly convert past a stranded goalkeeper.

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

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

There was great effort to the end, and they almost claimed a late goal when Lewis Koumas hit a post in injury time. But this was Chelsea’s night, and another positive step forward for their new head coach at a stadium he knows intimately.

Cup History Are Promising

The result made for an ultimately routine night's work, and the cup competition omens are good from here for the winners. They have played Hull on three previous occasions in this competition in the past ten years and on each occasion, they have gone on to make the showpiece. There is remains to be work in that regard, but this was another huge tick for Rosenior.