HULL, England — It was the draw his late grandmother may have wanted, but Liam Rosenior showed his former club Hull City no mercy on Friday.
As Chelsea celebrated their third goal on the hour mark, Rosenior clasped hands with Enzo Fernández, a World Cup winner signed for £106million, and sent him onto the pitch.
The hope for Hull City had long drained out of a bitterly cold MKM Stadium, where around 20 of Rosenior’s family and friends tried to get tickets for this FA Cup fourth round match to see the 41-year-old return to the place where he spent seven seasons, five as a player and two in the dugout.
Rosenior’s grandmother, once a Hull season-ticket holder, has sadly passed away but on Monday the new Chelsea manager wistfully claimed “she did the draw” to pair his present side with his past.
The home fans will not have enjoyed watching their side dismantled so comprehensively — Chelsea won 4-0 in the end — but when the pain subsides, they may reflect with some pride on the position Rosenior now finds himself in.
Rosenior’s first permanent managerial appointment came at Hull in 2022 and the locals here remember the innovation he brought to their football.
That trend has continued to the extent he had sufficient confidence in this Chelsea squad — who, let’s not forget, blew a 2-0 lead against Leeds United just three days earlier — to make eight changes away to a team currently sitting fourth in the Championship.
Rosenior has now won eight of his 11 matches in charge — a run that perhaps makes it easier to forget he is still in the process of convincing some of the Chelsea faithful he is worth of the role.
Having arrived from Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, Rosenior’s detractors consider him something of a stooge for the BlueCo ownership group, but he is determined not to let that cower his bravery.
Losing here would have been awkward in the extreme but they were never really in danger of an uncomfortable night — aside from the rain turning to blustery snow for a period and Chelsea’s inability to take their early chances.
Alejandro Garnacho could not beat Dillion Phillips when sent clean through on nine minutes. Estêvão then rounded Phillips but blazed his shot over an open goal. Rivalling the Brazilian as the biggest culprit was Liam Delap, who closed down Phillips with the rebound hitting the crossbar and bouncing down close to the line. What followed was a mixture of half celebrating, half failing to react and instead of turning home the loose ball, his second effort was saved.
Pedro Neto took the hardest chance they created, burying a low 20-yard drive five minutes before the break. Neto’s 51st-minute corner found its way past a melee of players at near post and Phillips to land in the net before Delap showed excellent strength to break free before pulling the ball back for Estevao to convert a simple finish.
Neto completed his hat-trick in the 71st-minute after more good work from Delap. Lewis Koumas hit the post for Hull in stoppage-time but by that point, Rosenior had also been able to introduce teenager Jesse Derry for his debut.
“What I’m really realising quickly is not just that they are good players, they are outstanding professionals,” said Rosenior. “I felt it was a professional performance tonight against a very good team pushing for the Premier League. This is not an easy game. Some of our football was everything I want to see but before that the values of what the team stood for made me a very happy coach.
“I will always have a special, special feeling for this club regardless of how I was received today but the fans here are top. I’ve had so many good moments and I appreciate and thank them for the reception they gave me.”
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Hull City vs. Chelsea – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Hull City vs. Chelsea, 02/13/2026
Rosenior’s flexibility has been a notable early feature of his tenure and this was a hugely valuable night for Neto in particular.
The life of a Chelsea winger is perennially precarious. The club seem to sign new wide players in almost every window and with Estevao’s exciting emergence continuing and Geovany Quenda arriving from Sporting CP this summer, Neto’s future on the right flank next season looks somewhat uncertain.
His versatility is therefore a highly useful asset and Neto, 25, has started seven of Rosenior’s 11 matches in a number of positions. In fact, Rosenior said Neto played in three different roles in one match against Arsenal last month.
At Hull, with Cole Palmer absent from the matchday squad, Neto operated in the No. 10 position and his opening goal came as a result of occupying that attacking space. He ended with the first hat-trick of his senior career, a riposte to some of the online abuse he receives which Rosenior was asked about afterwards.
“No, I’m not aware of it and I don’t know why that would be the case because Pedro Neto brings us so many difficult qualities,” Rosenior said. “For me, he is a world class player. He is a world class winger and what I love about him, as talented and gifted as he is, what he sacrifices for the team at times is top. He is going to be really important to what we can achieve for the rest of the season.”
And with that, Rosenior departed for “a beer,” he said, with his opposite number Sergej Jakirovic before heading upstairs to see Hull’s owner, Acun Illicali.
In the final few minutes, the home fans asked Rosenior to give them a wave. He duly obliged. It was the only thing he gave them all night as Chelsea march on.
