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Amid sleet, snow, and a biting breeze off the banks of the Humber Estuary, combined with a resolute Hull City side fighting for a top-flight place, this presented all the makings of a difficult evening’s task for the visitors.

"We could have added to our tally but Hull are a strong team and it was a tough fixture; I am delighted with the display," he said. "Hull City means a lot to me so it was nice to get a good reception from both sets of supporters. The application of the players was excellent."

The Chelsea manager holds this place close to his heart, considering some of his relatives hail from Hull and his successful spell in management of the Tigers. His positive association was extended with a commanding display from his squad, who in the end sauntered into the next round of the FA Cup.

Deadly Edge Seals Comfortable Victory

Seventy-two hours after letting slip a two-goal advantage in the league, there was a hint of vulnerability about Chelsea going into this intriguing tie. The capacity Hull crowd clearly sensed it too, but Rosenior's men handled the task perfectly.

The manager rang the changes, enacting seven of them to his starting lineup. The tie might and maybe ought to have been decided earlier than it actually was, with both the Brazilian winger and Liam Delap at fault for missing excellent opportunities to put Chelsea in front in the opening period.

But, fortunately for the visitors, Pedro Neto was in a far more ruthless frame of mind. He opened the deadlock with a spectacular long-range effort, which acted as the spark for his team to take control of the match. By full time, they had 4 goals, with the forward netting three of them for a brilliant hat-trick.

The Forward's Redemption and Impact

The home side displayed plenty of spirit throughout, but the clearer opportunities consistently came Chelsea’s way. Estêvão ought to have broken the scoring when he rounded goalkeeper the Hull stopper before inexplicably shooting over. Delap then had a similar horror moment in front of goal against his old team.

He blocked a the goalkeeper's kick which bounced off the crossbar, and Delap began to run away believing the ball had crossed the line. It had not, and by the time he understood, Hull's backline had reacted to avert the danger.

The player had his head in his hands after that miss, but he was hugely influential from there on out, registering three key passes. The first was for the first goal as his pass set up his teammate to score from range. Shortly after the restart, it was two as Neto's set-piece went straight in under Phillips's legs.

Tie Put Beyond Doubt and Attention Shifts

Seven minutes after the second, the tie was effectively ended as a dazzling dribble from Delap teed up his teammate to slide into an unguarded goal. The hat-trick hero then completed his hat-trick as the provider again delivered the crucial ball for the striker to calmly convert past a stranded Phillips.

By that stage, the effort Hull had put in in the opening thirty minutes had been forgotten. Their focus must now return to securing a return to the Premier League under their manager, who left out several key players with that goal in mind.

"In my opinion we earned at least one goal but if we play like this we will be in a very good situation in the league," the Hull manager commented. "Keep fighting, maybe in the upcoming matches this can be a positive example of how we should play."

There was great effort to the end, and they almost claimed a consolation when a substitute hit a the upright in stoppage time. But this was the Blues' night, and another positive stride for their recently-appointed head coach at a place he knows very well.

FA Cup Omens Are Good

The result resulted in an ultimately routine night's work, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are good from here for Chelsea. They have faced Hull on three other times in this tournament in the last decade and every single time, they have progressed to reach the showpiece. Much remains to be work in that regard, but this was another huge positive for the Chelsea boss.