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Amid freezing rain, flurries, and a swirling breeze from the waters of the Humber Estuary, alongside a determined Hull City side pushing hard for promotion, this had all the makings of a challenging evening’s task for Chelsea.

"We could have added to our tally but Hull are a good team and it was a difficult tie; I am delighted with the display," the manager stated. "This club is very special to me so it was great to get a positive welcome from the fans of fans. The attitude of the players was excellent."

The Chelsea manager has this city close to his heart, given part of his relatives hail from Hull and his successful period in management of the Championship club. This positive association was extended with a magnificent display from his squad, who ultimately strolled into the fifth round of the famous old competition.

Deadly Edge Seals Comprehensive Win

Three days after letting slip a two-goal lead in the league, there was a hint of fragility about them going into this intriguing cup clash. The capacity Hull support evidently felt it too, but the London side navigated the task perfectly.

The manager rang the changes, enacting multiple of them to his starting lineup. The tie might and maybe should have been settled long before it actually was, with two Estêvão Willian and the forward at fault for missing glorious chances to put Chelsea in front in the opening period.

But, luckily for the away team, Pedro Neto was in a far more ruthless frame of mind. He opened the deadlock with a marvellous long-range strike, which proved to be the spark for his team to take control of proceedings. By the final whistle, they had four, with the forward netting a trio of them for a superb three-goal haul.

The Forward's Response and Impact

Hull displayed plenty of fight all game, but the better opportunities always fell Chelsea’s way. Estêvão ought to have opened the deadlock when he rounded goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before inexplicably shooting over. Delap then had a comparable nightmare incident in front of goal against his old team.

He blocked a Phillips's clearance which came off the crossbar, and he began to run away thinking the ball had crossed the line. It hadn’t, and by the time he realised, Hull's backline had responded to clear the threat.

Delap had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was immensely instrumental from that point onward, providing three key passes. The first was for the opening goal as his through ball set up his teammate to score from range. Shortly after the restart, it was two as Neto's set-piece went straight in under Phillips's legs.

Contest Put Beyond Doubt and Attention Turns

Soon after Neto’s second goal, the tie was effectively ended as a magnificent dribble from Delap teed up his teammate to tap into an empty net. The hat-trick hero then completed his treble as the provider once again played the crucial pass for the attacker to calmly slot past a helpless goalkeeper.

By that stage, the effort Hull had done in the opening thirty minutes had been erased. Their priority must now switch back to achieving a promotion to the Premier League under their manager, who rested several key individuals with that aim in mind.

"I think we earned at least one goal but if we play like this we will be in a very good position in the league," he said. "Keep fighting, maybe in the next matches this can be a positive lesson of how we should play."

Hull showed great endeavour to the final whistle, and they almost claimed a late goal when Lewis Koumas hit a the upright in injury time. But this was Chelsea’s night, and another positive step forward for their new manager at a place he knows very well.

FA Cup Omens Are Promising

That resulted in an ultimately straightforward evening’s performance, and the cup competition signs are positive from here for Chelsea. They have played Hull on three previous times in this competition in the past ten years and on each occasion, they have progressed to reach the final. Much remains to be work in that respect, but this was another significant positive for Rosenior.