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Amid freezing rain, snow, and a swirling wind from the waters of the Humber, combined with a resolute home side fighting for a top-flight place, this had all the ingredients of a difficult evening’s work for Chelsea.

"We might have added to our tally but the opposition are a good team and it was a tough tie; I’m 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 fans. The attitude of the lads was excellent."

Liam Chelsea manager holds this city close to his heart, given part of his family are from Hull and his successful spell in management 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.

Deadly Finishing Seals Comfortable Victory

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

The manager made alterations, enacting multiple of them to his starting lineup. The tie might and maybe should have been settled earlier than it actually was, with two the Brazilian winger and the forward at fault for spurning glorious chances to put Chelsea ahead in the first half.

However, fortunately for the visitors, Pedro Neto was in a much more clinical frame of mind. He opened the deadlock with a spectacular long-range strike, which acted as the spark for Chelsea to assume control of proceedings. By the final whistle, they had four, with Neto netting three of them for a brilliant three-goal haul.

Delap's Redemption and Influence

Hull displayed plenty of spirit all game, but the better chances always came Chelsea’s way. Estêvão ought to have broken the scoring when he went past goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before unbelievably shooting over. Delap then had a comparable horror incident in front of goal against his former club.

He blocked a Phillips's kick which came back from the crossbar, and he began to celebrate thinking 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.

Delap had his head in his hands after that moment, but he was immensely influential from that point onward, providing three assists. The first was for the first goal as his pass teed up his teammate to finish from range. Shortly after the second half began, it was two as Neto's set-piece went directly in under the keeper's legs.

Tie Sealed and Attention Shifts

Soon after the second goal, the match was put beyond doubt as a magnificent dribble from Delap teed up his teammate to tap into an unguarded goal. Neto then completed his treble as the provider once again played the crucial ball for the attacker to coolly convert past a stranded Phillips.

At that point, the work Hull had put in in the first half-hour had been forgotten. Their focus must now return to securing a promotion to the top division under their manager, who left out a number of first-choice players with that aim in mind.

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

Hull showed plenty of effort to the end, and they nearly claimed a late goal when Lewis Koumas struck a the upright in stoppage time. But this was Chelsea’s night, and another positive step forward for their recently-appointed head coach at a stadium he knows very well.

FA Cup History Look Promising

The result resulted in an ultimately straightforward night's work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are positive from here for the winners. They have played Hull on three previous times in this competition in the past ten years and every single time, they have gone on to reach the final. Much still work in that regard, but this was another huge positive for the Chelsea boss.