3 hours ago
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Pedro Neto scored a superb hat-trick as Chelsea made light work of Championship promotion hopefuls Hull City to saunter into the FA Cup fifth round, as Liam Rosenior marked his return to his former club with a convincing victory.
This had all the makings of a potentially tricky evening for the Blues, with Hull nestled inside the Championship’s top six and pushing for a return to the Premier League under Sergej Jakirovic despite operating under restrictions in the last two transfer windows.
Throw in sleet, snow and a full house in Hull and it was hard not to imagine an upset was eminently possible by the banks of the Humber. However, Chelsea handled the occasion, the tie and their opponents with consummate ease.
Neto was the undoubted standout with three brilliant goals as Rosenior’s return to the club who sacked him nearly two years ago ended with a fairly straightforward result. The omens for Chelsea from here in the Cup are good too; they have faced Hull on three other occasions in the last decade in this competition, and every time, they have gone on to make the final.
Rosenior made seven changes to the team that drew with Leeds in midweek, with arguably the biggest opportunity coming for Liam Delap to lead the Chelsea line in the absence of the likes of Cole Palmer and João Pedro. However, Delap and the visitors endured a disappointing first half in appalling conditions on Humberside.
The Championship side enjoyed some early half-chances but as the game settled into a rhythm, it was Chelsea who adjusted better. They should have taken an early lead after a glorious long ball freed Estêvão on goal. The Brazilian did the hard work too, rounding Dillon Phillips in the Hull goal, before somehow firing over an empty net.
If that was a let-off for Hull, what followed next was even more remarkable. Phillips stalled to clear downfield and Delap did well to block the clearance, with the ball hitting the underside of the crossbar and appearing to bounce directly on the line.
Delap thought it had gone in and even began to celebrate before suddenly realising the play was still live. By the time he reacted properly, the goalkeeper had recovered superbly to prevent him from scoring against his former club in bizarre circumstances.
However, while there was no shortage of effort from the hosts, you always felt that a Chelsea was coming. That moment duly arrived five minutes before the break in superb fashion as the visitors’ standout player, Neto, beat Phillips from long-range to give Rosenior’s side a half-time lead that, on balance, they probably deserved.
Chelsea had started the second half much the stronger of the two sides though their second goal had a touch of fortune about it. Neto’s corner appeared to go directly in without a touch and through Phillips’ legs for his second of the night.
It was a crucial moment, and one that appeared to deflate the hosts, who were in the contest throughout an entertaining opening 45 minutes. With the momentum now firmly behind Chelsea, they were beginning to pick Hull apart at will – and it was no surprise when the all-important third came on the hour mark.
A marauding run from Delap saw him jink past two Hull defenders, with his cut-back perfect for Estêvão to tap into an empty net and put the tie beyond doubt. That was the catalyst for Rosenior to bring off Reece James and Moisés Caicedo, with the job done and the momentum now well and truly with Chelsea.
That was proven once again as the game entered the final 20 minutes as Neto completed his hat-trick. He owed much to Delap for another assist, with the striker laying the ball off brilliantly to allow Neto a simple finish and ensure he left Hull with the match ball, and the visitors got the job done with minimal fuss.
There was a late flurry from Hull, who did come close to scoring a consolation on a couple of occasions, most notably when Lewis Koumas struck the outside of a post in injury time. Their efforts would have certainly merited it, but the outcome had been decided a long time ago.
