Liam Delap: ‘The best teams get the job done’

It was an evening of fine attacking football from Chelsea during a cold night on Humberside, as Pedro Neto scored a superb hat-trick while Estevao Willian also etched his name onto the scoresheet, rounding off a dominant away performance that saw us secure safe passage to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Delap, who led the line and registered three assists in an impressive personal display, was pleased to return to the MKM Stadium and Hull City – where he spent a season on loan – but remained focused on the task at hand, pointing to a notable difference in quality after the half-time interval.

Speaking after the tie, Liam opened: ‘It was a really good evening for us, especially being back here, as well as I’ve got some great memories here. It was a good night, and we got the result we wanted.

‘I think we showed dominance in the first half, and we didn’t put our chances away. In the second half, we did. That was the difference.

‘We came here with one task, and that was to win. We showed we can battle and also play some good football, so we are happy.’

The striker recognised it was important to play his part and believes it’s vital that every player in the squad is ready to step up and contribute when needed, including himself.

He continued: ‘There are always different reasons a team is selected – it’s rarely the same side. So we’re used to it, and it’s part of football, you’ve got to adapt to that, and the best teams show that no matter who is playing, you get the job done.

‘I need to keep myself fit and stay in a rhythm. That’s the same for everyone else. The end of the season is going to be really challenging, and we’ll need everyone. So it’s really important that everyone contributes and focuses when they need to.’

That sense of togetherness is something Delap says has been strengthened under head coach Liam Rosenior.

‘I know [Rosenior] from before [at Hull City],’ he added. ‘I think the messages he’s brought into the group, we all buy into it. You can see by the results we’re getting that we’re doing well. So hopefully we can build on that and improve in every game.’

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