Chelsea welcomed the visit of Hull City to Stamford Bridge in the fifth round of the FA Cup hoping to secure qualification into the quarter-finals ahead of an important Champions League clash with Barcelona next week.
The hosts got off to the perfect start when Willian gave the Blues a lead after just two minutes, before Pedro soon doubled their lead in the 27th minute.
Willian shone throughout and he bagged a brace in the 32nd minute with a standout effort from distance.
Chelsea's charge into the quarters was completed even before the half-time whistle, when Olivier Giroud notched his first goal for the club with Chelsea's fourth of the game.
Relive all of the action with our minute-by-minute updates below.
Good evening all and thank you for joining us as we bring you live FA Cup coverage as seven-time winners Chelsea welcome the visit of Hull City in the fifth round at Stamford Bridge.
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Caballero; Rudiger, Cahill, Ampadu; Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Fabregas, Emerson; Willian, Giroud, Pedro
CHELSEA SUBSTITUTES: Eduardo, Chalobah, Sterling, Scott, Moses, Hudson-Odoi, Morata
HULL CITY STARTING XI: Marshall; Irvine, Myler, Dicko, Diomande, Evandro, Dawson, Clark, Stewart, Wilson, MacDonald
HULL CITY SUBSTITUTES: McGregor, Grosicki, Toral, Batty, Keane, Campbell, Clackstone
So the major news for Chelsea fans is that Conte has made a number of changes this evening. Olivier Giroud starts up top in a three alongside Pedro and Willian. At left wing-back, new signing Emerson Palmieri makes his debut for the club after joining in January.
Gary Cahill features as skipper at the heart of defence and he will partner impressive youngster Ethan Ampadu. Cesc Fabregas lines up in the middle along with Danny Drinkwater. Eden Hazard has been given the night off and does not feature in the squad. N'Golo Kante doesn't feature either and is rested ahead of Barcelona.
As for the visitors Hull boss Nigel Adkins has made all over seven changes since their last outing. The big news is that Nouha Dicko starts in attack and he will receive creative support from Adama Diomande, while David Myler features in the middle.
Ola Aina, Fikayo Tomori and Michael Hector are all on loan from Chelsea and cannot play against their parent club this evening. One big bonus is that Kamil Grosicki has been able to find himself with a place on the bench despite recent injury troubles. Club skipper Michael Dawson has also been declared fit to start following a late fitness test.
Chelsea come into this contest with a number of pivotal fixtures on the horizon, with Barcelona, Manchester United and Manchester City all to come in the next few weeks. Despite that, Conte has already made clear that he is eyeing a strong cup run.
Things have not gone quite to plan for the Italian coach over the last month, but Chelsea were able to pick up a vital 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion last time out in order to relieve some of the strain on their boss.
Victory on Monday ensured that Chelsea ended a run of back-to-back defeats in the Premier League against Bournemouth and Watford.
The Blues have a record of being able to get things done during this stage of the FA Cup. As things stand, Chelsea have progressed from nine of their last 10 fifth round FA Cup contests. The club's only loss during that spell came against Manchester City back in 2014.
Tonight's game is the first FA Cup contest between these clubs since Chelsea recorded a 6-1 away win over Hull during the third round in December 1999. That win measures up as Chelsea's joint-biggest away win in the competition.
Chelsea have proven prolific at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup over recent years. The Blues have notched 127 goals in 44 FA Cup games at home since they last drew a blank at the Bridge in March 1999. Since then they have averaged almost three goals per game.
We'll also be seeing the use of VAR in tonight's game so do be prepared for some sort of controversy or another!
This evening could prove an interesting one for Giroud, given that Hazard has been given the night off. The Belgian playmaker has been Chelsea's standout performer this term with 11 goals and two assists in 19 Premier League appearances. It looks like Alvaro Morata might be eased back into proceedings from the bench at some point tonight too. The Spaniard has enjoyed a mixed bag since his arrival in the summer, although his numbers are impressive in the league with 10 league goals and five assists in 18 showings.
The strength in Chelsea's starting XI suggests that Conte is still taking the tournament seriously and that is good to see, especially for a televised game on Friday night. In a way, progression into the sixth round could provide a nice lift for the Blues heading into those crunch clashes in the coming week or so.
Adkins and Hull come into the round having beaten Nottingham Forest, who were responsible for eliminating Arsenal during the third round of the tournament. The clash comes at a testing time for the Tigers, who are only one point above the bottom three in the Championship.
Hull were able to secure their first Championship victory in six games with a win over Forest last weekend too. Prior to that, the Tigers had drawn two and lost three.
Hull have struggled against top-flight opponents in the cup. The Tigers have won just three of their last 19 games against top-flight sides in the competition. The club's last win, however, came against Swansea City in a 2-0 victory last January.
Grosicki could be a key player off the bench for the visitors - the winger has six and four assists in the Championship this term...
Tactically, Hull have found things problematic during their current Championship campaign. Adkins has made significant defensive improvements to this side, though. Hull have now kept four clean sheets in their last seven matches across all competitions under their new boss. Prior to his arrival, Hull had kept four in 30 games.
Much of the narrative around this game has focused on the recent retirement of Ryan Mason, who has been forced to bring his playing days to a close following the serious head injury he suffered against Chelsea last January when clashing heads with Cahill. Everybody in the footballing world will be wishing Mason the best during the next stages of his career...
Should Hull somehow pull off the unthinkable here, it would be the first time that the Tigers have won two consecutive matches in all competitions this campaign.
We are all certainly keen to see how this man goes this evening, as Palmieri is handed his Blues' debut at Stamford Bridge. What a night to make your bow too:
A Chelsea debut handed to @emersonpalmieri tonight! 👏#CHEHUL pic.twitter.com/mqMpNwrygL — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) 16 February 2018
Recent statistics suggest that Adkins and his men have some serious work to do here. Chelsea have won their last six matches against Hull in all competitions.
When looking at the head-to-heads across all formats, Chelsea have never actually lost at home against Hull City, winning 17 and drawing five against the Tigers.
These two sides last met during the Premier League last term, when Hull were eventually relegated. The Blues completed the league double of City, who lost out 2-0 on both occasions against Conte and his charges.
One problematic detail for Hull in recent fixtures between the clubs has been Chelsea's efficiency in front of goal. The Blues have managed to notch at least two goals in their last six meetings with Hull in all competitions.
Added to that, when the sides have met the Blues have been almost impregnable at the back. Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six games against Hull.
PREDICTION! Right, we have just over 10 minutes until kickoff and it's time to make a prediction. Chelsea are missing David Luiz, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ross Barkley, as well as Hazard and Kante, but Conte has fielded a side that proves he is taking this game seriously. Hull clearly have other concerns in the Championship and Chelsea arguably have too much on show to be caused too many issues tonight. I'm backing the Blues for a comfortable 2-0 victory.
Not long now, here's a quick glimpse of the players warming up a little earlier tonight:
Warming up at the Bridge! #CHEHUL pic.twitter.com/07LASEEkzD — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) 16 February 2018
First halves at home have proven useful for the Blues in their recent history against Hull. Chelsea have been winning at both half time and full time in their previous three home fixtures against Hull.
Conte has made clear that he is taking things game by game at the moment. Here's what he had to say to the press a little earlier about this tie:
"We have in front of us two weeks that are very tough. It's right to have a programme, to have a plan, to face these two tough weeks in the right way. At the same time, as you know very well, we want to try to go through to the next round in the FA Cup."
As for Adkins, he is hoping that his stand-ins can take their opportunity in a tough away fixture:
"It gives other players an opportunity. I know what we're going to do, but we'll leave people to discover that when the teamsheet goes in 75 minutes before kick-off. It's a challenging scenario, and like I've said we will need a little bit of cup magic to help us."
Here's a quick recap of the starting XIs before we get underway here...
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Caballero; Rudiger, Cahill, Ampadu; Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Fabregas, Emerson; Willian, Giroud, Pedro
HULL CITY STARTING XI: Marshall; Irvine, Myler, Dicko, Diomande, Evandro, Dawson, Clark, Stewart, Wilson, MacDonald
The teams are now making their way out onto the pitch, just a few moments and then we'll be off!
KICKOFF! The hosts get us moving then. Chelsea feature in all blue, while Hull are in orange and black...
The Blues start with a comfortable spell of possession before Rudiger goes long for Emerson, who is eventually tackled by Dawson when he gets inside and tries to make inroads into the box.
GOAL! CHELSEA 1-0 HULL CITY (WILLIAN)
Gulp... You feel for Hull already. Chelsea press high and the ball breaks kindly into the path of Willian who comes inside towards the box. Chelsea offer an option on the overlap, but the winger uses it merely as a disguise to deter his marker, allowing him to cut inside and bend a finish into the far corner.
Hull respond with their first spell of possession and Chelsea are happy to sit deep and invite the visitors on... The early goal is a real hammer blow for the away side.
Chelsea have slowed this down to a walking pace here as they aim to take control with the ball now. Dicko does well on the press to put pressure on youngster Ampadu, but he looks assured as he sends the ball back for Caballero.
CHANCE! Giroud aims to get his first shot away on goal inside the box, but he is hassled well by Clark. From the corner, Willian plays in Fabregas, who sees his shot down low tipped away by a diving Marshall.
CLOSE! Warning signs for Hull as Chelsea break away at real pace. The charge is led by Willian, who goes past Myler with consummate ease. His cross into the box is almost inch perfect and Giroud is just a whisker away from tapping in from close range.
Chelsea switch it up as Fabregas finds some room in the middle and he sends a ball long for the run of Willian in behind. Marshall does well, though, leaving the keeper to rush off his line and collect the ball in the air.
CHANCE! Wonderful combination work from Chelsea, as Drinkwater chips in Giroud over the top. The striker takes the effort first time with a prod towards goal, only for the Frenchman to skew his effort over the bar.
CLOSE! As Hull clear, Fabregas regains possession and sends a delightful ball in behind for the run of Emerson, but Dawson pulls out the most perfect of slide tackles to thwart the danger. Standout defending from the centre-back.
The Tigers have to be careful, this time as Willian shows some remarkable pace on the turn to setup another counter. Thankfully Hull have the numbers in midfield to cut out the danger, but they are being given plenty of warning signs already.
The home side are starting to tick over nicely now. Drinkwater shows great skill to break into the right side of the box, before crossing across the face of goal. Giroud almost gets a toe to things, but the ball flashes past his boot and out for a goal kick.
The visitors show just a glimmer of danger for the first time tonight, as the Tigers make progress down the left channel at pace. Rudiger does well for the Blues as he comes across at the vital moment in order to cut out a would-be cross from Diomande.
Chelsea do not appear rushed in any of their work in this opening half. The hosts are playing with patience on the edge of the Hull box, waiting to capitalise on a mistake...
CLOSE! Chelsea win a cheap free kick wide of the box, allowing Willian to flash an effort in towards Marshall, who saves with both fists. It looks as though the ball breaks kindly for Emerson, but the linesman has his flag raised for some sort of infringement.
CLOSE! Almost the perfect counter for the hosts. Willian is at the heart of it all again as he charges free inside the Hull half. The ball is eventually fed out for the overlapping Pedro, although he hits his effort straight into a grateful Marshall.
GOAL! CHELSEA 2-0 HULL CITY (PEDRO)
This is simply brilliant... Giroud shows perfect centre-forward play as he holds up a pass into his feet with his back to goal. The striker looks up and picks out a pass into Fabregas, who is occupying some space in the middle. The midfielder gets his head up and swings a delightful ball beyond the defence for the run of Pedro, who collects calmly and slots a neat finish beyond a helpless Marshall.
What Giroud has lacked in goals he has certainly made up for in his hold-up play, just as that goal exemplifies.
GOAL! CHELSEA 3-0 HULL CITY (WILLIAN)
Poor Hull fans... Giroud again does the dog's work as he bustles his way past a defender before threading a forward pass for the run of Willian. The winger still has plenty to do, though. He opens up from range and bends a delightful finish from outside of the area into the corner and off the post, with Marshall standing absolutely no chance. Pure precision from the Brazilian, who now has a brace.
What do the visitors do now? They have offered very little going forward and are rather open at the back too. Chelsea continue to move forward with confidence, but this time Zappacosta's cross is headed away by Dawson.
Chelsea are still doing all of the hard work when Hull are in possession despite already being three goals to the good. This has been impressive from a Chelsea side who have found things tough going of late.
Hull just haven't been able to get a foothold in this first half. At times Adkins's side have managed to keep the ball, but when they work things forward the play is very rarely sticking. Chelsea are swarming on them almost instantly with an impressive press.
Again, Hull fail to develop the attack despite Irvine trying to break from midfield...
GOAL! CHELSEA 4-0 HULL CITY (OLIVIER GIROUD)
Giroud has his first goal for Chelsea! Emerson shows some standout composure on the left with a nut-meg to break into the box. The full-back produces a deft cut-back for the Frenchman, who opens up and catches the ball first time to send a clinical finish in at the near post.
For all of Hull's deficiencies, the Blues have been outstanding this evening, especially going forward where they have proven clinical. Fabregas and Willian are amongst the standouts, while Giroud and Emerson have also shone during the build-up phases.
We're going to have two minutes of additional time here...
HALF TIME: CHELSEA 4-0 HULL CITY
A fantastic half for the home side, who have been on fire in attack. Hull have offered very little resistance and Chelsea have so far made them pay with their creativity in the final third.
Fabregas has been magnificent in threading attacks together, while also dictating the pace of the game from the middle. Willian has been the man of the match so far, with his two goals perhaps overshadowing his impact on the Hull defence. His movement has caused all sorts of problems and his pace on the break has constantly left the Hull back line in two minds.
Giroud has provided an effective focal point in attack too. The striker has opened his account for the club, but his most impressive pieces of work have come in holding up the ball and bringing the rest of Chelsea's attack into play.
SECOND HALF! We are back moving again. Chelsea have decided to rest Pedro, with youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi coming on to replace him.
Hudson-Odoiat shows a good change of pace to cut inside and break in towards the box. His pass into Giroud is a little heavy, though, allowing Dawson to make the challenge.
PENALTY TO HULL CITY!
PENALTY SAVED!
Agony for the visitors... Wilson shows some neat skill to leave Fabregas flat-footed and he ends up bringing down the Hull midfielder inside the box. The youngster stays down injured, though, and Myler has to anxiously wait to take the kick. The penalty is eventually taken, leaving Myler to see his spot-kick saved by Caballero, who dives to his right and gets enough behind the ball.
Wilson is still having trouble with his shoulder here and we have another stoppage.
SUBSTITUTE: Hull are soon forced into the change as Wilson is hauled off for Jon Toral...
This second half has been consistently broken up and neither side has been able to thread too much together despite that one Hull chance. The visitors do better this time, though, with Evandro striking on the half-volley from the edge of the Chelsea box.
Ampadu will take great confidence from his performance today. The youngster has played with remarkable control, this time as he sees a speculative long ball through into the arms of Caballero without issue.
Willian comes alive inside the Hull half as he spots the run of Hudson-Odoi. The youngster turns a cross in for Giroud, but MacDonald defends well.
SUBSTITUTION: Chelsea make another change as Fabregas is replaced by the promising Kyle Scott in the middle.
Evandro produces some good strength to hold off two challenges, but he eventually commits a foul of his own having run out of options to pass to. That's been part of Hull's problem tonight - a lack of support or any real intent to threaten Chelsea when inside their half.
Conte won't mind the speed of this game now as his side are effectively keeping things to a jog, especially with Barcelona and United in mind. Hull have been much improved after the break, but they are still lacking the quality to hurt Chelsea in the vital areas.
CLOSE! Substitute Scott is careless with his pass, allowing Irvine to break away towards the box. The midfielder winds up and takes a shot, which is well covered by Ampadu as the ball is deflected over the bar.
CHANCE! Dicko comes alive for the first time, really... Ampadu gets caught square by the striker and has to pull out of his tackle for fear of conceding a penalty. Caballero to the rescue, though, as the keeper stops the striker in his tracks with a smart save down low.
CHANCE! It's all happening now... Chelsea take the chance to then break on the counter, leaving Willian with a chance inside the area to bag his hat-trick. MacDonald has other ideas, however, as he makes a last-ditch block in front of goal.
SUBSTITUTES: A couple of changes now as Dicko is replaced by Fraizer Campbell. As for the Gunners, Giroud's night is done as Morata comes onto the field.
City get a generous free kick 25 yards out from goal and they opt for something off the training ground with a chip towards the back-post. Chelsea have the reading of things, though, allowing Zappacosta to head clear.
CHANCE! Cahill is presented with the chance to bag his first of the term, but the defender leads with his wrong foot from a corner despite being left unmarked inside the box.
CLOSE! A strong period for the Blues now, this time as the ball breaks kindly from a corner into the path of Drinkwater. The midfielder winds up from range before seeing his shot take a wild deflection off a defender inside the area. Marshall reacts brilliantly to the swerving ball to make a smart save down low.
The changes in midfield appear to have negatively impacted Chelsea's tempo here, but they still remain in control heading into the final 10 minutes or so.
Willian has been magnificent here and you get the feeling Conte might be keeping him on for his hat-trick. Given his showing, however, he might be better used against Barcelona.
YELLOW CARD! Kyle Scott cuts a frustrated figure as he loses the ball and then goes in late on his man. Silly, really...
This contest has been over some time as shouts of "Conte, Conte" echo around the ground. Hull have been unable to stop this machine-like Chelsea side this evening.
SUBSTITUTE: Hull make their final change as Daniel Batty takes the place of Irvine in the middle.
CLOSE! Poor Willian, he should have his hat-trick. The winger comes inside much like his goals in the first half, but this time his bending shot from distance cannons off the post and back out for a goal kick.
CLOSE! Almost a late consolation for Hull, as Toral cuts the ball into the middle, where a lucky touch off Ampadu sees the ball drop kindly for a willing Caballero.
Two minutes of added time in this second half...
FULL TIME: CHELSEA 4-0 HULL CITY
So the referee calls time on a game that was arguably over come half time. Willian ran Hull into the ground today, as did Fabregas and Giroud in the first period. Hull came into this game with a depleted side and they never really stood a chance against a Blues side playing with confidence in the final third.
Hull will now return to Championship action on Tuesday as they taking on Middlesbrough. The visitors were improved in the second period and that might just give them some confidence as they aim to stave off a relegation scrap.
This result will do Chelsea good ahead of Barcelona next week. The performances from Willian, Giroud and Fabregas will also give Conte some healthy headaches over the weekend too. That's going to be all from me tonight, thanks for joining us!
