FA Cup Quarter-Final draw: Liverpool & Chelsea dodge Premier League opposition

Liverpool and Chelsea were both handed ties against Championship sides in Thursday’s FA Cup quarter-final draw.

Nottingham Forest or Huddersfield Town, who play each other on Monday night, will host Liverpool in round six.

Meanwhile, Chelsea must win at Middlesbrough if they are to progress to the semi-finals at Wembley.

England manager Gareth Southgate conducted Thursday’s draw.

Crystal Palace were the first team he drew out of the bowl of numbered balls as Southgate gave his former club a home clash with either Everton or Boreham Wood.

After Liverpool and Chelsea were given trips to lower-league teams, Manchester City were also handed an away quarter-final.

Pep Guardiola’s City will go to Southampton in the last eight.

The FA Cup trophy pictured before a first round match between AFC Sudbury and Colchester United in 2021
The draw for the quarter-finals of the 2021/22 FA Cup were made on Thursday

FA Cup Quarter-Final Draw

Crystal Palace vs Everton or Boreham Wood

Nottingham Forest or Huddersfield Town vs Liverpool

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea

Southampton vs Manchester City

The quarter-final matches are set to take place over the weekend of March 19 and 20.

Replays at this stage of the FA Cup are a thing of the past, so these quarter-finals will be settled by extra time and penalties if there is no winner after 90 minutes.

Middlesbrough have been the chief giant-killers in this season’s FA Cup. They beat Manchester United in a penalty shootout at Old Trafford in round four, before adding Tottenham to their list of victims earlier this week.

Chelsea are the most successful club left in the competition. The Blues are eight-time winners, with only Arsenal (14) and Man United (12) having won more FA Cups.