Three things we learned from Chelsea win as Pedro Neto issues emphatic response on strange night for Liam Delap | OneFootball

Liam Rosenior is serenaded on his return to Hull as Chelsea’s hat-trick hero silences his recent critics

Pedro Neto’s response to recent criticism was quite an emphatic one.

Neto hit his very first career hat-trick to fire Chelsea into the FA Cup fifth round on Friday night.

Neto silences critics

Pedro Neto has had his doubters in recent weeks. Having not scored since the win at Charlton in the last round of the FA Cup — Rosenior’s first match in charge — sections of the Chelsea fanbase have become frustrated with his decision-making and execution and it has led to some pretty vile abuse of him online.

But the Portuguese was Chelsea’s matchwinner here, firing in the opening goal from outside the box after Liam Delap and Estevao had missed sitters inexplicably.

His decision to just have a go from range paid off.

Chelsea doubled their lead from the winger’s corner after the interval, and though originally awarded to Jorrel Hato for a front-post flicked header, it emerged that the ball had travelled all the way in.

Another low drive from a fair distance out completed his hat-trick on 71 minutes and Chelsea’s haul in Hull on a bitterly cold night where it snowed for plenty of the first half.

Neto left with the match ball, having silenced his critics, scoring the very first treble of his senior career.

Delap’s peculiar night

It was a very strange night indeed for Chelsea striker Liam Delap, who led the line against the club he spent the 2023-24 season on loan at under Rosenior.

He looked leggy and off the pace to begin with, and missed a gilt-edged chance to score the opener when he blocked goalkeeper Dillon Phillips’s clearance against the crossbar but then showed lethargy in picking up the rebound and failed to convert.

But a simple pass into Neto earned him an assist for the opener, and that proved a catalyst for a much-improved second half showing from the Englishman.

Chief creator: Liam Delap set up three of Chelsea’s four goals against Hull

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Clever footwork and a nice drop of the shoulder saw him beat a man out wide and lay the ball on a plate for Estevao to make it 3-0, and it was again Delap’s assist for the fourth goal as he slid the ball into Neto. Rosenior looked delighted with Delap as they embraced after the full-time whistle.

Rosenior’s emotional return

It was no doubt an emotional evening Rosenior, who made a romantic return to the MKM Stadium a year and a half after Hull’s rather harsh decision to sack him as their manager in May 2024.

The 41-year-old spent five years there as a player from 2010 to 2015, captaining them in the Europa League qualifiers in 2014, before returning to the club as manager in 2022.

Rosenior spoke with a fondness this week when asked about his ties to the club, where his late grandmother, Cath, was a season ticket-holder. Rosenior had sat her down in a Harvester restaurant to tell her he was first signing for Hull, and she is buried not far from the club’s training ground.

Triumphant return: Liam Rosenior

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So it was little surprise Rosenior was clearly thrilled at the opportunity to return to Hull, where he had as many as 20 family members in attendance for the game — some in the home end, some in the away.

And in the 89th minute Hull fans could be heard chanting: “Liam Rosenior, he’s one of our own.” It will have made him proud on an emotion night.