English FA Cup:Chelsea must succeed where Liverpool failed so miserably at the weekend if they are to retain the FA Cup, after yesterday's quarter-final draw handed them an awkward tie against Barnsley. The holders successfully avoided Manchester United in the draw but they face a trip to Oakwell next month where Barnsley have lost only twice all season.
The tie represents a huge reward for the Tykes, who won startlingly at Anfield on Saturday thanks to their captain Brian Howard's last-minute goal, and they greeted the draw with delight. Chelsea have visited Oakwell only once since they were defeated 4-0 in a third-round FA Cup tie in 1989, though that trip to South Yorkshire 10½ years ago yielded a 6-0 Premier League win, with Gianluca Vialli scoring four times.
"It's another unbelievable tie," said Howard, who was briefly on Chelsea's books early in his career. "I had three or four months there and then Roman Abramovich came in and signed pretty much the best players in the world. It will be nice to prove to them I'm good enough to play."
"We have a fantastic home record at the moment," said Barnsley's manager, Simon Davey. "To draw Liverpool at Anfield was fantastic for us. We won that and now we have the chance to play against more world-class players at home. Our lads played Hyypia and Carragher and now they'll be up against the likes of Drogba and Joe Cole. There is an endless list of names who are going to give us nightmares, but it's a fantastic draw."
The prospect of the elite quartet of clubs - one of Chelsea, United, Liverpool and Arsenal have won the cup each year since Everton triumphed in 1995 - maintaining their monopoly remains after Alex Ferguson's side were handed a home draw with Portsmouth, one of only four Premier League clubs to make the last eight but who are without a win at Old Trafford since 1957. However, the United manager's optimism was tempered by the prospect of having to play top-flight opposition for the 11th tie in succession in the competition.
"It's typical that we have another Premier League team," said Ferguson. "But it's a home draw, so it doesn't matter who you get. We've had two great home ties against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the previous rounds and hopefully we'll have another one against Portsmouth."
Bristol Rovers, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, will host West Bromwich Albion at the Memorial Ground, which guarantees that at least one side from outside the Premier League will make the semi-finals at Wembley. Cardiff City, into the last eight for the first time since 1927 when they won the Cup, will travel to either Sheffield United or Middlesbrough, who replay next week after their goalless draw at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield manager Kevin Blackwell admits his side face an "ideal quarter-final draw" - against Cardiff - if they can overcome Middlesbrough in their replay. He said: "To get a home draw and avoid the big guns in the quarter-final is ideal, that's for sure.
"But Gareth Southgate and I both know that we've got to get past each other first and it goes without saying that's not going to be easy."
The fifth-round replay with Middlesbrough will take place a week on Wednesday, February 27th.
Arsenal's captain, William Gallas, has escaped disciplinary action over his clash with Manchester United's Nani in the fifth-round tie at Old Trafford. The Football Association confirmed that the referee, Alan Wiley, had looked at video footage of the incident but had not deemed Gallas's kick worthy of a red card for violent conduct.
"Having viewed the footage," an FA spokesman said, "the referee was not satisfied that it showed evidence of violent conduct and therefore no further action will be taken."
