Chelsea and Man United kept apart in FA Cup

By Mike Collett

LONDON (Reuters) - The prospect of the first repeat FA Cup final for 123 years increased on Monday when holders Chelsea and last year's beaten finalists Manchester United were kept apart in the quarter-final draw.

Chelsea, who knocked out Huddersfield Town of League One (third division) in the fifth round, will travel to Championship (second division) side Barnsley, who stunned seven-time winners Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield on Saturday.

It is only the second time Chelsea and Barnsley have met in the Cup with Barnsley winning their only previous tie 4-0 in 1988-89.

United, who have beaten Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in previous rounds this season, will play yet another Premier League club, Portsmouth, at Old Trafford.

They 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 Web site (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."