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Amid sleet, snow, and a biting wind from the waters of the Humber Estuary, alongside a resolute Hull City side fighting for a top-flight place, this presented all the ingredients of a challenging night's task for the visitors.

"We might have scored more but the opposition are a good team and it was a tough tie; I’m delighted with the display," he said. "This club is very special to me so it was nice to get a positive reception from both sets of fans. The attitude of the players was excellent."

Liam Chelsea manager has this place dear to him, given part of his relatives are from Hull and his successful period in management of the Championship club. This positive connection continued with a magnificent display from his team, who ultimately sauntered into the next round of the famous old competition.

Deadly Edge Seals Comprehensive Win

Seventy-two hours removed from letting slip a two-goal advantage in the league, there was a hint of vulnerability about Chelsea going into this intriguing cup clash. The capacity Hull crowd clearly sensed it too, but the London side navigated the task with ease.

The manager rang the changes, making multiple of them to his starting lineup. The match might and perhaps should have been settled earlier than it actually was, with both Estêvão Willian and Liam Delap guilty of missing glorious chances to put Chelsea ahead in the opening period.

But, fortunately for the away team, their Portuguese attacker was in a much more ruthless mood. He broke the scoring with a marvellous long-range effort, which acted as the catalyst for Chelsea to take control of proceedings. By full time, they had four, with Neto netting a trio of them for a superb hat-trick.

Delap's Response and Impact

Hull displayed great fight all game, but the better chances consistently came to the visitors. The winger ought to have opened the deadlock when he rounded keeper Dillon Phillips before unbelievably shooting over. Delap then had a similar nightmare incident in front of goal against his old team.

He blocked a the goalkeeper's kick which bounced back from the bar, and Delap started to celebrate believing the ball had gone over the line. It had not, and by the time he understood, Hull's defenders had responded to avert the threat.

Delap had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was hugely influential from there on out, registering 3 key passes. The first was for the first goal as his pass set up Neto to finish from range. Shortly after the second half began, it was two as the forward's corner went directly in through the keeper's legs.

Tie Sealed and Focus Shifts

Soon after the second goal, the match was put beyond doubt as a magnificent run from Delap teed up his teammate to slide into an empty net. The hat-trick hero then completed his hat-trick as the provider once again delivered the crucial ball for the striker to calmly convert past a helpless Phillips.

At that point, the work Hull had put in in the opening half-hour had been erased. Their focus must now switch back to achieving a return to the Premier League under their manager, who left out several key players with that aim in mind.

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

Hull showed great endeavour to the final whistle, and they almost claimed a consolation when a substitute hit a the upright in stoppage time. But this was the Blues' night, and another encouraging step forward for their new manager at a stadium he is familiar with intimately.

FA Cup Omens Look Good

The result made for an ultimately straightforward evening’s work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are positive from here for the winners. They have faced Hull on three other occasions in this competition in the last decade and every single time, they have gone on to reach the showpiece. Much still done in that respect, but this was another huge tick for Rosenior.