🔗 Share this article

Amid freezing rain, flurries, and a biting wind off the waters of the Humber Estuary, combined with a resolute home side pushing hard for a top-flight place, this presented all the ingredients of a difficult night's work for Chelsea.

"We might have scored more but Hull are a good team and it was a difficult tie; I’m delighted with the display," the manager stated. "This club is very special to me so it was nice to get a positive welcome from both sets of fans. The application of the players was excellent."

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

Clinical Finishing Seals Comprehensive Victory

Three days removed from letting slip a two-goal advantage in the league, there was a sniff of vulnerability about them going into this intriguing cup clash. The packed home crowd clearly sensed it too, but Rosenior's men navigated the task perfectly.

Rosenior made alterations, making multiple of them to his XI. The match could and maybe ought to have been settled earlier than it eventually was, with two Estêvão Willian and the forward at fault for spurning glorious opportunities to put their side ahead in the opening period.

However, fortunately for the away team, their Portuguese attacker was in a much more ruthless frame of mind. He opened the deadlock with a spectacular distance strike, which proved to be the catalyst for Chelsea to take control of the match. By the final whistle, they had four, with the forward netting a trio of them for a brilliant hat-trick.

The Forward's Redemption and Impact

Hull displayed great spirit all game, but the clearer chances consistently came to the visitors. Estêvão should have broken the deadlock when he went past goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before unbelievably firing over. The striker then had a comparable nightmare moment in front of goal against his old team.

He blocked a the goalkeeper's clearance which bounced off the crossbar, and Delap began to run away believing the ball had gone over the line. It had not, and by the time he understood, Hull's backline had responded to avert the danger.

The player had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was immensely influential from that point onward, registering 3 key passes. The opening 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 under Phillips's legs.

Tie Sealed and Attention Shifts

Soon after the second, the tie was put beyond doubt as a dazzling dribble from Delap teed up Estêvão to slide into an empty net. The hat-trick hero then finished his hat-trick as the provider once again played the decisive pass for the striker to calmly convert by a stranded Phillips.

By that stage, the work Hull had put in in the opening thirty minutes had long since erased. Their priority must now return to securing a promotion to the top division under Sergej Jakirovic, who left out a number of 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 strong position in the league," he said. "Never surrender, maybe in the upcoming games this can be a positive example of how we must play."

Hull showed great effort to the end, and they nearly got a consolation when Lewis Koumas struck a post in injury time. But this was the Blues' night, and another positive step forward for their new manager at a stadium he is familiar with intimately.

Cup Omens Look Promising

The result made for an in the end straightforward evening’s work, and the cup competition omens are good from here for Chelsea. They have played Hull on three other times in this competition in the last decade and on each occasion, they have progressed to make the final. Much still work in that regard, but this was another huge tick for Rosenior.