Chelsea, Man United kept apart in FA Cup
LONDON: The prospect of the first repeat FA Cup final for 123 years increased on Monday when holder Chelsea and last year's beaten finalist Manchester United were kept apart in the quarterfinal draw.
Chelsea, which knocked out Huddersfield Town of League One (third division) in the fifth round, will travel to Championship (second division) side Barnsley, which stunned seven-time winner Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield on Saturday.
It is only the second time Chelsea and Barnsley have met in the Cup with Barnsley winning its only previous tie 4-0 in 1988-89.
United, which has beaten Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in previous rounds this season, will play yet another Premier League club, Portsmouth, at Old Trafford.
It thumped Arsenal 4-0 on Saturday while Portsmouth squeezed through with a stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 victory at Preston North End on Sunday.
United manager Alex Ferguson told the Premier League champion's website (www.manutd.com) that he was pleased to get another home tie.
"It's a home draw, so it doesn't matter who you get. But it's typical that we have another Premier League team," Ferguson said. "The good thing about the FA Cup, though, is that the opposition bring an increased number of supporters, which makes for a great atmosphere.
"We've had two great home ties against Spurs and Arsenal in the previous rounds, and hopefully we'll have another one against Portsmouth."
Cardiff City, in the last eight for the first time since winning the FA Cup in 1927, will travel to either fellow Championship side Sheffield United or Premier League Middlesbrough, which drew 0-0 on Sunday and will replay next week.
Bristol Rovers of League One, in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1958 after a shock 1-0 win over Championship side Southampton, will host West Bromwich Albion of the Championship in the first-ever Cup meeting between the sides.
West Brom, which last won the FA Cup 40 years ago, crushed Coventry City 5-0 in Saturday's fifth round tie.
Only one Premier League team - either United or Portsmouth - is guaranteed a place in the last four.
If United and Chelsea get through as expected and are kept apart in the semis, the final could be contested by the same teams in successive seasons for the first time since 1884 and 1885 when Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park from Glasgow met each other, with Blackburn winning both finals.
The ties will be played on the weekend of March 8.
Agencies
(China Daily 02/20/2008 page24)
