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Against a backdrop of sleet, snow, and a biting breeze from the banks of the Humber Estuary, combined with a resolute Hull City side fighting for promotion, this had all the makings of a difficult night's task for Chelsea.

"We could have scored more but Hull are a strong team and it was a tough fixture; I am very pleased with the display," he said. "This club means a lot to me so it was nice to get a good reception from the fans of supporters. The attitude of the players was excellent."

Liam Rosenior has this place close to his heart, given part of his family are from Hull and his enjoyable period in charge of the Tigers. This happy connection was extended with a commanding performance from his team, who ultimately sauntered into the fifth round of the famous old competition.

Clinical Edge Seals Comprehensive Victory

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

The manager rang the changes, making seven of them to his starting lineup. The tie could and perhaps ought to have been decided long before it actually was, with both Estêvão Willian and the forward guilty of missing glorious chances to put Chelsea in front in the first half.

But, fortunately for the away team, their Portuguese attacker was in a far more clinical mood. He broke the deadlock with a spectacular distance strike, which acted as the catalyst for Chelsea to assume command of the match. By full time, they had 4 goals, with the forward netting three of them for a brilliant hat-trick.

Delap's Redemption and Impact

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

He deflected a Phillips's kick which came back from the bar, and Delap began to run away thinking the ball had gone over the line. It had not, and by the time he realised, Hull's backline had responded to clear the danger.

The player had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was immensely influential from there on out, providing three assists. The first was for the opening goal as his pass set up Neto to score from range. Shortly after the second half began, it was two as Neto's corner went directly in under Phillips's legs.

Contest Put Beyond Doubt and Focus Shifts

Seven minutes after Neto’s second goal, the match was effectively ended as a magnificent dribble from Delap teed up his teammate to slide into an empty net. Neto then completed his hat-trick as Delap once again delivered the decisive pass for the striker to calmly slot past a helpless goalkeeper.

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

"In my opinion we deserved at least one goal but if we perform like this we will be in a strong situation in the Championship," the Hull manager commented. "Keep fighting, maybe in the upcoming games this can be a positive example of how we should play."

There was great endeavour to the end, and they nearly got a consolation when Lewis Koumas struck a the upright in injury time. But this was Chelsea’s night, and another encouraging stride for their new head coach at a place he is familiar with very well.

FA Cup Omens Look Good

The result resulted in an in the end routine evening’s performance, and the cup competition omens are good from here for the winners. They have faced Hull on three previous times in this competition in the past ten years and every single time, they have progressed to make the final. There is still done in that regard, but this was another huge positive for the Chelsea boss.