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Against a backdrop of sleet, snow, and a swirling breeze off the banks of the Humber Estuary, combined with a resolute home side fighting for a top-flight place, this had all the makings of a challenging night's task for the visitors.

"We could have scored more but Hull are a good team and it was a difficult fixture; I am very pleased with the performance," he said. "Hull City is very special to me so it was great to get a positive welcome from both sets of fans. The attitude of the lads was excellent."

The Rosenior has this city dear to him, considering part of his family are from Hull and his successful period in management of the Tigers. His happy connection continued with a commanding display from his squad, who ultimately strolled into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Clinical Edge Seals Comprehensive Win

Seventy-two hours after surrendering a two-goal lead in the league, there was a sniff of vulnerability about them going into this intriguing cup clash. The capacity Hull support clearly sensed it too, but Rosenior's men handled the task perfectly.

Rosenior made alterations, enacting multiple of them to his starting lineup. The match might and perhaps should have been decided long before it actually was, with both the Brazilian winger and Liam Delap guilty of missing glorious chances to put their side in front in the first half.

But, fortunately for the away team, their Portuguese attacker was in a far more ruthless frame of mind. He opened the scoring with a spectacular distance strike, which acted as the catalyst for his team to take command of the match. By full time, they had four, with Neto netting three of them for a superb three-goal haul.

Delap's Redemption and Influence

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

He blocked a Phillips's clearance which came off the crossbar, and he began to run away thinking the ball had crossed the line. It had not, and by the time he understood, Hull's backline had reacted to avert the danger.

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

Tie Sealed and Focus Turns

Seven minutes after the second, the tie was effectively ended as a magnificent run from Delap laid on his teammate to slide into an empty net. Neto then finished his treble as Delap again played the crucial pass for the striker to calmly slot by a helpless goalkeeper.

By that stage, the effort Hull had done in the opening thirty minutes had been erased. Their focus must now switch back to securing a return to the top division under their manager, who rested a number of key individuals 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 position in the league," he said. "Never surrender, maybe in the upcoming games this can be a positive example of how we must play."

Hull showed plenty of effort to the end, and they nearly claimed a late goal when Lewis Koumas hit a the upright in injury time. But this was Chelsea’s evening, and another positive stride for their new manager at a stadium he knows very well.

Cup History Look Good

That resulted in an in the end straightforward night's performance, and the FA Cup-shaped signs are positive from here for Chelsea. They have faced Hull on three previous times in this tournament in the past ten years and on each occasion, they have gone on to reach the final. There is still done in that respect, but this was another huge tick for the Chelsea boss.