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Against a backdrop of sleet, snow, and a swirling wind from the banks of the Humber, combined with a resolute home side fighting for a top-flight place, this presented all the ingredients of a challenging evening’s work for Chelsea.

"We could have added to our tally but the opposition are a strong team and it was a tough tie; I’m very pleased with the performance," he said. "This club means a lot to me so it was great to get a good welcome from the fans of fans. The attitude of the players was excellent."

Liam Chelsea manager holds this place close to his heart, considering part of his family hail from Hull and his successful period in charge of the Championship club. This positive connection continued with a magnificent performance from his team, who ultimately strolled into the fifth round of the famous old competition.

Clinical Finishing Seals Comprehensive Victory

Three days removed from letting slip a 2-0 lead in the league, there was a hint of fragility about Chelsea going into this intriguing cup clash. The packed Hull crowd evidently sensed it too, but Rosenior's men navigated the task with ease.

Rosenior rang the changes, making seven of them to his starting lineup. The match could and perhaps ought to have been settled long before it eventually was, with both Estêvão Willian and the forward at fault for spurning glorious opportunities to put Chelsea in front in the opening period.

But, luckily for the visitors, Pedro Neto was in a much more ruthless frame of mind. He broke the scoring with a spectacular distance effort, which acted as the catalyst for his team to take command of the match. By full time, they had 4 goals, with Neto scoring a trio of them for a superb three-goal haul.

Delap's Redemption and Impact

The home side displayed plenty of spirit all game, but the better chances always fell to the visitors. Estêvão ought to have opened the deadlock when he went past keeper Dillon Phillips before inexplicably firing over. Delap then had a comparable horror moment in front of goal against his former club.

He deflected a the goalkeeper's kick which bounced back from the crossbar, and he started to celebrate thinking the ball had gone over the line. It hadn’t, and by the time he realised, Hull's backline had reacted to clear the danger.

The player had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was hugely instrumental from there on out, registering three assists. The first was for the first goal as his through ball teed up his teammate to finish from range. Shortly after the restart, it was 2-0 as Neto's set-piece went directly in through Phillips's legs.

Contest Put Beyond Doubt and Attention Shifts

Soon after Neto’s second goal, the tie was effectively ended as a magnificent run from the forward laid on Estêvão to tap into an unguarded goal. The hat-trick hero then completed his treble as Delap once again played the decisive pass for the striker to calmly slot past a stranded goalkeeper.

By that stage, the work Hull had done in the opening thirty minutes had been forgotten. Their priority must now return to achieving a return to the Premier League under their manager, who rested a number of key individuals with that aim in mind.

"In my opinion we earned at least one goal but if we perform like this we will be in a strong position in the league," he said. "Keep fighting, maybe in the upcoming games this can be a positive example of how we must play."

Hull showed great effort to the final whistle, and they nearly claimed a late goal when Lewis Koumas struck a post in stoppage time. But this was Chelsea’s evening, and another positive stride for their new head coach at a place he knows intimately.

FA Cup Omens Are Promising

The result made for an ultimately straightforward night's work, and the cup competition omens are good from here for the winners. They have played Hull on three other occasions in this competition in the last decade and on each occasion, they have progressed to reach the final. Much remains to be work in that regard, but this was another significant tick for Rosenior.