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Against a backdrop of sleet, flurries, and a biting breeze off the waters of the Humber, alongside a determined Hull City side fighting for a top-flight place, this presented all the ingredients of a difficult night's work for Chelsea.

"We could have scored more but Hull are a good team and it was a tough fixture; I’m delighted with the display," he said. "This club means a lot to me so it was great to get a good welcome from the fans of fans. The application of the lads was superb."

Liam Chelsea manager holds this city dear to him, given part of his relatives are from Hull and his enjoyable spell in charge of the Tigers. His happy connection was extended with a magnificent performance from his squad, who ultimately strolled into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Clinical Finishing Seals Comprehensive Win

Three days after surrendering a two-goal lead in the league, there was a sniff of vulnerability about them going into this intriguing cup clash. The packed Hull crowd evidently sensed it too, but Rosenior's men navigated the task perfectly.

The manager rang the changes, enacting multiple of them to his starting lineup. The tie could and maybe should have been decided earlier than it eventually was, with two the Brazilian winger and the forward at fault for spurning glorious chances to put Chelsea in front in the opening period.

However, fortunately for the away team, Pedro Neto was in a far more clinical frame of mind. He broke the scoring with a marvellous long-range effort, which acted as the spark for his team to take control of the match. By the final whistle, they had four, with Neto netting a trio of them for a brilliant hat-trick.

The Forward's Redemption and Influence

The home side showed plenty of spirit throughout, but the clearer chances consistently came Chelsea’s way. Estêvão ought to have broken the scoring when he went past goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before unbelievably firing over. The striker then had a similar nightmare moment in front of goal against his former club.

He blocked a Phillips's clearance which bounced off the bar, and Delap started to run away thinking the ball had crossed the line. It hadn’t, and by the time he understood, Hull's defenders had responded to clear the danger.

Delap had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was hugely instrumental from that point onward, providing 3 key passes. The opening was for the opening goal as his through ball set up his teammate to score from outside the box. Six minutes after the second half began, it was two as the forward's set-piece went directly in through the keeper's legs.

Contest Put Beyond Doubt and Focus Shifts

Soon after Neto’s second, the tie was effectively ended as a dazzling run from the forward teed up Estêvão to tap into an unguarded goal. Neto then finished his treble as Delap once again delivered the crucial pass for the striker to calmly slot past a helpless Phillips.

By that stage, the work Hull had put in in the first thirty minutes had been erased. Their priority must now return to securing a return to the Premier League under their manager, who left out a number of first-choice players with that goal in mind.

"In my opinion we earned at least one goal but if we perform like this we will be in a very good situation in the Championship," he said. "Never surrender, maybe in the upcoming games this can be a good lesson of how we should play."

Hull showed plenty of endeavour to the end, and they nearly claimed a consolation when a substitute struck a post in injury time. But this was the Blues' night, and another positive step forward for their new manager at a place he is familiar with very well.

Cup Omens Are Promising

The result resulted in an ultimately routine night's performance, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are positive from here for the winners. They have played Hull on three other times in this tournament in the past ten years and on each occasion, they have progressed to reach the final. Much remains to be done in that regard, but this was another huge positive for Rosenior.