Manchester United and Liverpool arranged an enticing FA Cup quarter-final clash by securing victories in their fifth-round matches, all while fully aware of the enticing reward at stake.
Before Wednesday’s matches, the draw was conducted, leading to Manchester United defeating Nottingham Forest and Liverpool thwarting Southampton.
Defending champions Manchester City secured a home fixture against Newcastle United.
Chelsea triumphed over Leeds, earning themselves a home match against Championship leaders Leicester, while Coventry, the lowest-ranked team remaining, will travel to face Midlands rivals Wolves.
The quarter-final matches are set to occur over the weekend of Saturday, March 16th.
How did the quarter-finals shape up?
Only four teams had secured their spots in the quarter-finals when the draw took place prior to Wednesday’s remaining fifth-round matches.
Manchester United, who fell to their neighbors City in last year’s final, required a late goal to advance, with Casemiro’s header sealing a narrow 1-0 victory over Forest.
Shortly after, Liverpool booked their trip to Old Trafford with a convincing 3-0 win over Championship promotion hopefuls Southampton.
These historic rivals haven’t clashed at such a crucial stage of the FA Cup since the 1996 final, where United emerged victorious with a 1-0 win courtesy of Eric Cantona’s goal.
In other Wednesday action, Chelsea snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over Leeds with Conor Gallagher’s last-minute goal, while Wolves secured a narrow 1-0 win against Brighton.
On Tuesday, Newcastle required penalties to overcome Blackburn, while Erling Haaland netted five goals as Pep Guardiola’s City cruised to a 6-2 victory at Luton, and Leicester earned a hard-fought 1-0 win against Premier League side Bournemouth.
Coventry, the 1987 champions, became the first team to reach the quarter-finals after a resounding 5-0 win over sixth-tier Maidstone on Monday.
Full FA Cup quarter-final draw
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Coventry City
Manchester United v Liverpool
Chelsea v Leicester City
Manchester City v Newcastle United