The Portuguese Neto Scores Treble as Chelsea Provide Manager Rosenior with Happy Return to Hull

Amid sleet, flurries, and a biting wind off the banks of the Humber, combined with a determined home side pushing hard for a top-flight place, this had all the makings of a challenging evening’s work for Chelsea.

"We might have scored more but Hull are a strong team and it was a tough tie; I’m very pleased with the performance," he said. "This club means a lot to me so it was great to get a good welcome from the fans of supporters. The application of the lads was excellent."

The Rosenior has this place close to his heart, considering part of his relatives are from Hull and his successful spell in management of the Tigers. This happy association continued with a commanding display from his squad, who in the end sauntered into the next round of the famous old competition.

Deadly Finishing Seals Comfortable Victory

Seventy-two hours removed from letting slip a two-goal advantage in the league, there was a hint of fragility about them going into this intriguing cup clash. The packed home crowd evidently sensed it too, but the London side navigated the task with ease.

Rosenior made alterations, making multiple of them to his starting lineup. The tie could and perhaps should have been settled long before it eventually was, with both Estêvão Willian and Liam Delap at fault for spurning excellent opportunities to put their side in front in the opening period.

But, luckily for the away team, Pedro Neto was in a far more ruthless mood. He opened the deadlock with a marvellous distance effort, which acted as the spark for Chelsea to take control of proceedings. By full time, they had 4 goals, with Neto netting a trio of them for a brilliant three-goal haul.

The Forward's Redemption and Influence

Hull displayed plenty of fight throughout, but the better chances consistently came Chelsea’s way. Estêvão ought to have opened the deadlock when he went past goalkeeper Dillon Phillips before inexplicably shooting over. The striker then had a similar nightmare incident in front of goal against his old team.

He blocked a Phillips's kick which came off the crossbar, and Delap started to run away believing the ball had gone over the line. It had not, and by the time he realised, Hull's backline had responded to clear the threat.

The player had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was immensely instrumental from that point onward, providing three assists. The opening was for the opening goal as his pass teed up his teammate to finish from range. Six minutes after the restart, it was 2-0 as the forward's corner went straight in through Phillips's legs.

Tie Put Beyond Doubt and Attention Shifts

Seven minutes after the second, the match was effectively ended as a magnificent run from the forward teed up his teammate to slide into an empty net. The hat-trick hero then completed his treble as the provider again played the decisive ball for the striker to coolly slot by a stranded Phillips.

By that stage, the effort Hull had put in in the first half-hour had long since forgotten. Their priority must now switch back to securing a promotion to the top division under Sergej Jakirovic, who rested 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 league," the Hull manager commented. "Never surrender, maybe in the upcoming matches this can be a good example of how we must play."

Hull showed plenty of effort to the end, and they nearly claimed a late goal when a substitute hit a post in injury time. But this was the Blues' night, and another positive step forward for their new head coach at a place he knows intimately.

FA Cup Omens Are Good

That made for an ultimately straightforward evening’s work, and the cup competition signs are positive from here for Chelsea. They have played Hull on three other occasions in this tournament in the last decade and on each occasion, they have gone on to reach the final. Much still work in that regard, but this was another significant positive for the Chelsea boss.