Hull City's brief FA Cup run is over for another year after a defeat to Premier League giants Chelsea on Friday night
Barry Cooper Hull City correspondent
09:00, 14 Feb 2026
Chelsea's Liam Delap competing with Hull City's goalkeeper Dillon Phillips, John Egan and Cathal McCarthy at the MKM Stadium
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Chelsea's Liam Delap competing with Hull City's goalkeeper Dillon Phillips, John Egan and Cathal McCarthy at the MKM Stadium(Image: Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images))
Pedro Neto's impressive hat-trick set Chelsea well on their way to a comfortable 4-0 win at Championship side Hull City on Friday night.
Though City had bright moments in both halves. Neto's treble and one for Estevao, which was brilliantly carved out by Liam Delap, ended any hopes of a Tigers revival in front of a capacity MKM Stadium crowd.
With their involvement in the FA Cup ended, attention now turns back to City's pursuit of promotion, and their desire to join Chelsea in next season's Premier League.
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Here, Tigers reporter Barry Cooper looks back on a tough night under the lights.
Jakirovic got it right
Whatever team selection he went with, some would have criticised. Had he gone full strength, with Charlie Hughes and Oli McBurnie in the side, he may well have been unhappy, given how much football they've played recently. The fact that he made changes annoyed others.
Ultimately, he's paid to make difficult decisions, and the priority in City's position, which, let's not forget, is an incredibly positive one in the Championship, is making the most of that and going on to get promotion. Beating Chelsea would have been great, of course, but they turned up and delivered a fine attacking display.
He has to balance everything up, and while he would have wanted to go as strong as possible, he ultimately decided to make changes. His team battled hard, they had their own moments but were well beaten by a side worth hundreds of millions, and have one of the best squads in Europe.
The gulf in quality
City had their moments, as we knew they would. They just didn't have the composure to take them when they came along, especially in the first half at 0-0.
It's one of those games where if you score first, then they have something to hold onto, but as soon as Chelsea scored and so close to half-time, it became an awful lot easier. Two quick goals at the start of the second half killed it off, and while there's clearly a massive gap between Chelsea and Bristol City, it's the second game in a row where they've conceded early in it.
Ultimately, Chelsea are a world-class squad assembled for more than a billion pounds, and they showed why they are competing at the level they are. City want to get to that level, and this showed what they will need to expect if they are to end their top-flight exile.
City's much-changed side battled hard, they gave a good account of themselves and on another day, may well have had something to show for their efforts.
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Whetting the appetite
The whole focus around the game has given City a flavour of what life would be like back in the Premier League, and it's an occasion they should want more of.
Beating a Chelsea team with that value was always a tough ask, and their quality showed in the end, but City gave a good account of themselves, even if they let themselves down in key moments at both ends of the pitch.
Wanting more of these nights should, if they need any extra motivation, give them something extra in the remaining crucial weeks of the Championship season.
Rosey's return
The City fans chanted his name, and he waved back at them throughout the game, but especially at the end, which felt like goodbye. Of course, given he lost his job after the end of the 2023/24 season had finished, there was no fond farewell, but this felt like it was.
Rosenior was a special player for the club under Steve Bruce, and he came back and made a positive impact as manager. Acknowledging that isn't a disrespect to the current manager, and the supporters immediately sang Jakirovic's name straight after Rosenior's. which was a mark of respect to both.
After the game, Rosenior went off for a beer with Jakirovic and popped by the chairman's suite to chat with Acun Ilicali and have the customary selfie with the Tigers owner. In truth, he's probably glad the game is over, he's got it out of the way and he can now focus on his current job and what the future has in store.
Back to the league
City now have eight days to prepare for the visit of QPR as the battle for promotion points returns with real vengeance. From next Saturday, the Tigers have seven games in just 21 days leading into the March international break.
Derby County follow on Tuesday week as a busy period of three weeks with midweek games then follows. That includes away trips to the likes of Portsmouth, Ipswich Town and Wrexham.
It's a frantic schedule, and it's a period that will go a long way to dictating what happens come the promotion shake-up in early May, and City need to use these next few days to get themselves ready to deliver against Rangers and get back to winning ways.
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