Chelsea will play Hull City in the fourth round of the FA Cup. This will be an emotional reunion for head coach Liam Rosenior and striker Liam Delap with their old team. The tie will take place on the weekend of Saturday, February 14, 2026, when the Blues go to the MKM Stadium.
The draw has a lot of personal stories behind it. Rosenior was in charge of Hull in the Championship before moving to Chelsea. Delap spent the 2023/24 season on loan with the Tigers. Delap scored eight goals while he was at Hull. Then he moved to Ipswich Town permanently, and then to Chelsea last summer.
Rosenior enjoyed working with Delap when they were both at Hull. The manager had said nice things about the striker’s growth before:
“I think Liam’s consistency is getting better too. He’s getting better and better every day he’s with us, and he’s going to be a big problem for us for the rest of the season.”
Rosenior’s first game as Chelsea manager was a 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic in the third round on Saturday. The Blues easily moved on to this interesting fourth-round tie thanks to goals from Jorrel Hato, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto, and Enzo Fernandez.
In July 2023, Delap signed a season-long loan with Hull City. He did well in the second tier, but a knee injury cut his season short. After his time at Hull, he moved to Ipswich Town, which had just been promoted. He scored 12 goals in the Premier League, even though the Tractor Boys were relegated. In June 2025, Chelsea paid his £30 million release clause to get him to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea Get Ready For Arsenal Test Right Away
Chelsea’s first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, January 14, at 8 p.m. is very important ahead of their game against Hull.
The London derby is Rosenior’s first big test since he became manager at Stamford Bridge. Rosenior won’t say for sure that Cole Palmer will be available for Wednesday’s game. He was rested during the win over Charlton, along with Reece James and Malo Gusto, as a precaution. Rosenior said at a press conference on Monday that he would decide on Tuesday whether the three players could play. However, there are no major concerns about their fitness.
Chelsea and Arsenal faced off in a two-legged semi-final, with the first leg at home and the second leg away. The Blues got this far after beating Lincoln City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Cardiff City in earlier rounds. A win over the Gunners would give Chelsea a boost going into the FA Cup match against Hull and help them win more trophies in Rosenior’s first season.
