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Against a backdrop of freezing rain, flurries, and a biting breeze from the banks of the Humber Estuary, combined with a resolute home side fighting for a top-flight place, this had all the makings of a challenging evening’s work for Chelsea.

"We could have scored more but Hull are a good team and it was a difficult tie; I’m very pleased with the display," the manager stated. "Hull City means a lot to me so it was nice to get a positive reception from the fans of fans. The attitude of the lads was excellent."

The Chelsea manager holds this city close to his heart, considering some of his family hail from Hull and his enjoyable period in charge of the Tigers. His positive association continued with a commanding performance from his team, who ultimately strolled into the fifth round of the famous old competition.

Clinical Finishing Seals Comprehensive Win

Seventy-two hours removed from letting slip a two-goal lead in the league, there was a hint of vulnerability about Chelsea going into this potentially tricky tie. The packed Hull crowd evidently felt it too, but the London side handled the task perfectly.

The manager rang the changes, enacting multiple of them to his starting lineup. The match could and perhaps ought to have been decided earlier than it eventually was, with both the Brazilian winger and the forward at fault for spurning excellent opportunities to put their side in front in the first half.

However, fortunately for the away team, their Portuguese attacker was in a far more ruthless frame of mind. He broke the deadlock with a marvellous long-range strike, which acted as the catalyst for Chelsea to take command of proceedings. By full time, they had 4 goals, with Neto netting three of them for a superb hat-trick.

The Forward's Response and Influence

Hull displayed great spirit throughout, but the better chances consistently came Chelsea’s way. The winger ought to have broken the scoring when he rounded keeper Dillon Phillips before inexplicably shooting over. The striker then had a similar horror moment in front of goal against his former club.

He blocked a the goalkeeper's kick which came off the crossbar, and he began to run away thinking the ball had gone over the line. It had not, and by the time he realised, Hull's defenders had reacted to clear the danger.

The player had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was hugely influential from there on out, providing three assists. The first was for the opening goal as his through ball teed up his teammate to finish from range. Six minutes after the restart, it was 2-0 as Neto's set-piece went straight in through the keeper's legs.

Contest Put Beyond Doubt and Attention Shifts

Soon after Neto’s second goal, the tie was effectively ended as a dazzling dribble from Delap laid on Estêvão to slide into an empty net. Neto then finished his hat-trick as the provider again played the crucial pass for the attacker to coolly slot past a stranded goalkeeper.

By that stage, the work Hull had done in the opening half-hour had long since forgotten. Their priority must now return to achieving a return to the top division under their manager, who rested several key players with that aim in mind.

"I think we deserved at least one goal but if we perform like this we will be in a strong position in the league," the Hull manager commented. "Keep fighting, maybe in the upcoming games this can be a positive lesson of how we must play."

There was plenty of endeavour to the final whistle, and they almost got a late goal when Lewis Koumas hit a the upright in injury time. But this was the Blues' night, and another encouraging stride for their new manager at a stadium he knows intimately.

Cup Omens Are Promising

That resulted in an in the end routine evening’s work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are good from here for the winners. 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 showpiece. Much remains to be done in that respect, but this was another huge tick for Rosenior.