Sir Alex Ferguson was resigned to his fate after Manchester United were once again paired with a Premier League side in the FA Cup. United will face Portsmouth at home in the quarter- finals while Bristol Rovers will play West Brom, Chelsea will take on Barnsley and Sheffield United or Middlesbrough will host Cardiff City.

Ferguson’s side have had to overcome Aston Villa, Tottenham and Arsenal to reach the last eight of the competition – and played six top-flight sides in last season’s FA Cup, including Portsmouth. The United manager told the club’s website: “It’s a home draw, so it doesn’t matter who you get. But it’s typical that we have another Premier League team.”

Barnsley manager Simon Davey believes facing Chelsea at home is a “good reward” for beating Liverpool on Saturday.

“We wanted a home tie and to get Chelsea is brilliant,” Davey told Sky Sports News. “Six thousand Barnsley fans came to Anfield – now we can fill our stadium against another fantastic, world-class team.”

The ties will be played on the weekend of 8 and 9 March with the winners going to Wembley – both semi-finals are to be played at England’s national stadium.