Pedro Neto clinically dispatched his first senior career hat-trick as Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 victory over Championship side Hull City at a snowy MKM Stadium.
Despite early dominance and several missed sitters—including an open-goal blunder by teenager Estêvão—the Blues finally broke through in the 40th minute via a curling Neto strike.
The Portuguese winger doubled the lead shortly after half-time in bizarre fashion, scoring directly from a corner that squirmed through goalkeeper Dillon Phillips’ legs. He added a third in the 71st minute with a neat finish into the bottom corner.
Estêvão made amends for his earlier miss by slotting home Chelsea’s third in the 59th minute.
Former Hull loanee Liam Delap was the architect of the victory, providing three assists against his old club.
While Hull’s Lewis Koumas hit the post late on, the night belonged to Liam Rosenior’s side. With the Premier League title out of reach, this dominant performance cements Chelsea as firm favorites to end their eight-year domestic trophy drought.
Chelsea host Burnley in the Premier League on February 21, while Hull return to Championship action against QPR.
