The draw for the semi-finals of the FA Cup kept several plot-lines alive with Aston Villa facing Chelsea and Portsmouth up against either Fulham or Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.
Head boy: John Carew levelled with a powerful header
Photo: PA
If Fulham prevail it sets up the possibility of a west London derby in the final – while if Portsmouth win it will pit their manager Avram Grant against the club that sacked him after the 2008 Champions League Final should, again, Villa be defeated.
The other semi-final pitted Chelsea, the holders, against Aston Villa, which will be a re-match of the 2000 final, the last to be played at the old Wembley, which Chelsea won 1-0.
Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins, after the quarter-final victory over Stoke City, said: “They beat us earlier on (in the season) at Villa Park but that was quite a while ago.
"The problems they gave us were from set plays but today we must commend our guys on how they dealt with that situation against a very strong side.”
Villa manager Martin O’Neill said: “Chelsea are one of the best sides in Europe but we will take them on. And we certainly don’t fear them.”
Tottenham midfielder Niko Kranjcar said he would have preferred to have avoided Portsmouth, should Fulham be defeated, “because of the emotions and everything”. It will, he said, “be a hard game to play”.
"Obviously nearly all of the players who won the Cup two years ago have left the club but they all have a special emotional feeling for the club and the fans.
"We as players really enjoyed our time there. We had some great results and we are not happy with what is happening with the club."
Draw for the FA Cup semi-finals:
- Aston Villa v Chelsea
- Fulham or Tottenham v Portsmouth