Hull City 0-4 Chelsea: Liam Delap misses the sitter but makes three goals in the FA Cup

However, he showed no urgency to put the rebound into the net.

Delap first raised his arm in celebration, then pleaded with the officials, before collecting the loose ball and curling a shot past the recovering Phillips.

Alan Shearer, the all-time top scorer in the English Premier League, said to BBC One during his commentary on the match: “Oh my God, what is Delap doing?

“It’s as if he’s thinking, ‘I have all the time in the world.’ He indulges in it and takes his time. What are you waiting for?

“Liam Delap didn’t have a good four minutes. He made two misses and missed a sitter. Delap was vulnerable and he had a chance tonight. Delap looks very lazy, he has to improve.”

However, Delap impressively recovered from the error to finish with three assists, as a Pedro Neto hat-trick and a Willian Estevao goal sent eight-time FA Cup winners Chelsea into the fifth round.

He managed to joke about the bizarre moment afterwards, telling BBC One: “I swear on my life I almost ran away.” [the pitch].

“I thought the ball had gone into the goal and then I was waiting for the referee to blow his whistle. Obviously I should have waited for the referee to blow his whistle. It’s silly of me but yeah, crazy.”

The former Manchester City striker has started just two of Chelsea’s last nine Premier League matches, but was given a chance by Liam Rosenior, with in-form striker Joao Pedro dropped to the bench.

Despite Delap’s misjudgement, the Blues coach praised the striker for his response and his role in the success.

The ball he passed for Neto to score the opening goal in the 40th minute was the first pass he completed in the final third, having lost possession eight times before.

His second assist for Estévão came after a brilliant move, while he passed the ball to Neto for the second time at the MKM Stadium with a powerful shot into the penalty area.

Rosenior described Delap’s performance as “top” and said: “Being a number nine, especially in the system we play in, it’s not always about yourself.

“It’s about getting other people involved in the game. Sometimes it’s about sacrificing so that other players get the space.”

Former Blackburn and Newcastle striker Shearer added: “Delap recovered well from that start and was instrumental in the win. He deserves a lot of credit for that.”

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards hopes Delap can now “repeat that in the Premier League.”

“I thought Liam Delap’s performance was fantastic,” he told BBC One. “What I liked about it was that when Hull started in the fifth, Delap was thinking about whether he could get into the space.”

While Delap will have to wait for his next goal, former Tottenham and Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown added on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Delap can do anything. He’s like a rebounder and he’s a number nine in everything.

“He is very effective when he is on his game. He is good in the air, he can hold the ball well, he can defend and he can finish.

“I think it’s another outlet. Chelsea now have a backup plan if they want to use it and that could be an option.”