Chelsea 4-0 Hull City: Player Ratings
Goalscorers: Willian 2', 32', Pedro 27', Olivier Giroud 42'
Antonio Conte's Chelsea cruised to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Championship outfit Hull City in the club's FA Cup fifth round tie at Stamford Bridge last night. The Blues enjoyed a sublime start to the game and it took them just over 100 seconds to find the first breakthrough of the game courtesy of a little magic from Willian.
Pedro added to the score-line in the 27th minute, after being played through on goal following an inch-perfect pass from Cesc Fabregas, The hosts were showing no signs of slowing down and scored yet again in the space of five minutes owing to some individual brilliance from Willian, who grabbed his second goal of the night.
Olivier Giroud combined well with fellow new signing Emerson Palmieri to slot home from close range and put Chelsea 4-0 ahead just before half-time. Hull City provided some resistance in the second half and managed to prevent the Blues from adding more to their tally.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at how players from both sides fared under the lights at Stamford Bridge:
Hull City
David Marshall - 6/10
The Tigers' shot-stopper was certainly the busiest among the two goalkeepers for the majority of the game and despite conceding 4 goals, Marshall managed to punch above his weight a few times in the second half. He could do nothing to stop the goals on the night but was forced to make a few good saves as the game progressed.
David Meyler - 4/10
Meyler did not enjoy a lot of his involvement after filling in at right-back for the night and struggled to keep up with Chelsea's quick movements in the first half. He was beaten easily by Emerson to set up the hosts' 4th goal and things took a turn for the worse when his penalty was saved by Willy Caballero.
Michael Dawson - 4/10
The skipper did not enjoy his return to London and struggled for the majority of the game. Dawson was always playing catching-up and caused very little problems for the Chelsea attackers who ran the show on the night with their blistering pace and clever movement.
Angus MacDonald - 5/10
The Englishman failed to bring any form of stability at the back for the visitors and was constantly kept on his toes by the likes of Giroud and Pedro, who combined well with Willian to complete the onslaught.
Max Clark - 5/10
The youngster stepped out to play one of his career's biggest games at the Bridge last night and was handed very little help with Willian being in such scintillating form. The Brazilian was a constant thorn in the flesh of the opposition defenders including Clark, who never lost heart despite going through a tough task.
Kevin Stewart - 4/10
The midfielder looked shaky in the middle of the park and gifted Chelsea with the opportunity to break the deadlock in the 2nd minute. Stewart was steam-rolled in midfield by Drinkwater and was also at fault for Chelsea's third goal that came right after the half-hour mark. Booked.
Jackson Irvine - 5/10
The Australian was pitted against one of the best in midfield in the form of Cesc Fabregas and it is safe to say that it was a rather steep learning curve for the young man. Irvine ran tirelessly on the night but failed to establish any significant authority in the game. Booked.
Harry Wilson - 6/10
The Liverpool loanee enjoyed a decent outing against Chelsea on the night before being taken off in the 55th minute after what it seemed like a shoulder injury. Wilson won the penalty for the visitors in the second half after being brought down by Fabregas inside the area in the 51st minute.
Evandro Goebel - 5/10
The Brazilian made just his third start of the season and the consequence was there for everyone to see in the first half. Evandro failed to make any impact in the game after being a passenger on the field until the visitors showed a glimmer of hope in the second half.
Adama Diomande - 5/10
Diomande started on the left flank and presented himself as a viable outlet on the wings despite not being able to get the better of Antonio Rudiger. He was careless in possession and failed to make an impact with the ball at his feet.
Nouha Dicko - 6/10
The striker was assigned with the mammoth task of leading the visitors' attack on the night and managed to pull out a decent performance for his side. Dicko showed pace and directness that troubled the Chelsea defenders on a few instances before being denied a consolation goal by Caballero who made a fine save from his effort.
Substitutes
Jon Toral - 5/10
Toral would have expected to start the game but his involvement was cut short to an appearance from the bench just before the hour mark and he could not offer a lot to change his side's fortunes.
Fraizer Campbell - 4/10
Campbell enjoyed a late run out after replacing Dicko in the 72nd minute as Chelsea ran out as comfortable winners.
Daniel Batty - N/A
Came on in the 88th minute to replace Jackson Irvine.