Chelsea progressed safely through to the FA Cup fifth round with a 4-0 win over Hull, led by a hat-trick from Pedro Neto and a second-half goal from Estevao after a competitive opening hour.
Hull began well and created an early chance when Liam Millar caught Reece James in possession and squared for Lewis Koumas, who could not direct his effort on target.
Chelsea soon settled and should have led inside 20 minutes. Alejandro Garnacho forced a save from Matt Phillips and Neto’s rebound was blocked, while Estevao later rounded the goalkeeper but somehow lifted his finish over an open goal.
Liam Delap also hit the crossbar after closing down Phillips yet hesitated on the follow-up, allowing the keeper to recover.
Chelsea’s pressure eventually told in the 40th minute. Delap laid the ball back to Neto outside the box and the winger curled a left-footed finish into the bottom corner to give the visitors a half-time lead.
Hull struggled to sustain many attacks after the break and Chelsea gained greater control of possession. The second goal arrived just before the hour when Garnacho drove forward from midfield and slipped a pass into Neto, who opened his body and finished low past Phillips from inside the area.
The game moved beyond Hull shortly afterwards. Estevao made amends for his earlier miss by meeting a cut-back from Malo Gusto and guiding a finish into the far corner.
With space opening as the hosts tired, Chelsea continued to create chances and Neto completed his hat-trick late on, collecting a pass on the edge of the box and striking a firm effort beyond the goalkeeper.
Hull continued to compete but rarely threatened Robert Sanchez, and the visitors managed the closing stages without any real alarm.
Source link
