For Chelsea to succeed this season, Pedro Neto will have a big role to play

Pedro Neto left the MKM Stadium clutching the match ball, the first senior hat-trick of his career sealing Chelsea’s 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round win at Hull City and, perhaps, the most eloquent answer yet to the rising chorus of criticism that has trailed him in recent months.

The Portugal international’s treble—two crisp strikes either side of the interval and a corner that crept in untouched off goalkeeper Dillon Phillips—was not merely a personal milestone. It kept alive the club’s most realistic route to silverware this season and re-asserted his claim to be the most reliable wide option in an expensively assembled but still evolving squad.

Deployed centrally as a No. 10 in the continued absence of Cole Palmer, Neto flourished in the extra pocket of space, drifting beyond Hull’s back line with the kind of conviction that has been missing during spells of the 2024-25 campaign. The performance arrived at a pivotal moment: online compilations highlighting misplaced crosses or heavy touches have become increasingly common, while groans inside Stamford Bridge have grown louder with every wayward pass.

Yet the numbers illustrate why head coaches, first Enzo Maresca and now Liam Rosenior, have continued to start Neto more than any other winger at the club. Across all competitions he comfortably leads Estevao Willian, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens for minutes played and goal involvements, his season tally now in double figures after Tuesday’s haul.

Context, however, is required. Neto’s last five goals have arrived against lower-league opposition in domestic cups—Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic and Hull—while his first five came versus Premier League strugglers West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Burnley and Leeds. Since his €60 million move from Molineux in August 2024, his only strike against established top-flight opposition was at home to Arsenal last term.

Even so, within the current squad his willingness to track back and defend remains unmatched among the wide players, a quality Rosenior values as highly as goals. “He brings so many different qualities that you need,” the Chelsea head coach said after the final whistle. “For me, he’s a world-class winger. What he sacrifices for the team is top, and he’s going to be really important for what we can achieve.”

That faith stands in contrast to the uncertain form of his rivals. Estevao, 18, is being nursed through his debut English season; Garnacho was hauled off at half-time during the recent 2-0 loss to West Ham; Gittens is sidelined with a hamstring problem and yet to convince. With Sporting CP prodigy Geovany Quenda set to arrive in the summer, Neto knows competition will only intensify, particularly on the right flank he prefers.

For now, his focus must be the present. Chelsea remain alive in the Champions League and FA Cup, while a top-five Premier League finish represents the minimum target. Neto’s response to the doubters has been to score goals and cover every blade of grass, occasionally cupping his ears in celebration as if to mute the outside noise. If the club’s ambitions are to be realised over the next four months, the 25-year-old’s blend of industry and moments of inspiration will be central to the cause.