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Against a backdrop of sleet, flurries, and a swirling wind off the waters of the Humber, combined with a resolute home side pushing hard for promotion, this presented all the makings of a difficult night's work for Chelsea.

"We could have added to our tally but Hull are a strong team and it was a tough fixture; I am delighted with the performance," he said. "This club means a lot to me so it was great to get a positive reception from both sets of fans. The attitude of the players was superb."

The Chelsea manager holds this place close to his heart, considering part of his relatives are from Hull and his successful period in management of the Tigers. This happy association continued with a commanding performance from his team, who ultimately sauntered into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Clinical Edge Seals Comprehensive Win

Three days after letting slip a two-goal advantage in the Premier League, there was a hint of vulnerability about Chelsea going into this intriguing tie. The packed home crowd clearly sensed it too, but Rosenior's men handled the challenge perfectly.

The manager rang the changes, enacting seven of them to his XI. The tie could and maybe ought to have been settled long before it actually was, with both Estêvão Willian and the forward guilty of spurning glorious opportunities to put Chelsea in front in the opening period.

However, fortunately for the visitors, their Portuguese attacker was in a much more clinical frame of mind. He opened the deadlock with a spectacular distance effort, which acted as the spark for his team to assume control of proceedings. By the final whistle, they had 4 goals, with Neto scoring a trio of them for a superb three-goal haul.

The Forward's Redemption and Influence

The home side showed great spirit throughout, but the clearer chances consistently came Chelsea’s way. Estêvão should have opened the deadlock when he rounded keeper the Hull stopper before inexplicably shooting over. The striker then had a similar horror incident in front of goal against his old team.

He deflected a the goalkeeper's clearance which bounced back from the bar, and he started to celebrate believing the ball had crossed 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 moment, but he was immensely instrumental from that point onward, registering three key passes. The opening was for the first goal as his through ball set up Neto to score from range. Six minutes after the second half began, it was two as Neto's corner went straight in through the keeper's legs.

Contest Sealed and Focus Turns

Seven minutes after the second, the tie was put beyond doubt as a magnificent dribble from Delap teed up Estêvão to tap into an empty net. The hat-trick hero then finished his hat-trick as the provider again played the decisive pass for the striker to coolly slot past a stranded Phillips.

By that stage, the work Hull had put in in the first half-hour had long since erased. Their priority must now return to securing a promotion to the Premier League under Sergej Jakirovic, who left out a number of key individuals with that goal in mind.

"I think we earned at least one goal but if we perform like this we will be in a strong situation in the league," he said. "Keep fighting, maybe in the upcoming matches this can be a good lesson of how we must play."

Hull showed great endeavour to the final whistle, and they almost claimed a late goal when Lewis Koumas struck a the upright in stoppage time. But this was the Blues' night, and another positive stride for their new manager at a stadium he knows intimately.

Cup History Look Good

That made for an ultimately routine evening’s work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are good from here for the winners. They have faced Hull on three previous occasions in this competition in the last decade and on each occasion, they have gone on to make the showpiece. Much remains to be work in that respect, but this was another huge tick for the Chelsea boss.