The draw for the FA Cup 4th round has been made, with interesting ties for the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
The draw took place on Monday night, just minutes before the concluding third round tie between Wigan Athletic and Manchester United at the DW Stadium. While several big names were missing from the hat, including Arsenal following their 2-0 loss to the Reds on Sunday, plenty of intrigue remained as the 16 ties came out one by one.
And it certainly threw up some tantalising fixtures, with reigning champions Manchester City’s visit to Tottenham being the pick of the bunch. Ange Postecoglou will face his toughest fixture yet against two-time winner Pep Guardiola as he eyes his first piece of silverware as Spurs boss.
Another huge all-Premier League clash sees Chelsea host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are currently tenth in the league while Villa are flying high in second, having won 1-0 when the two clubs met in September.
Erik ten Hag’s faltering Manchester United will at least have a relatively straightforward fixture, should they beat Wigan on Monday night. The Red Devils would face either Newport County or Eastleigh – only the second Non-League club left in the competition.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will be content with drawing Norwich or Bristol Rovers after they came out as victors in their huge clash with Arsenal this week. The other confirmed Premier League-only ties are Sheffield United v Brighton and Fulham v Newcastle.
All eyes were on Maidstone United, however, who drew Ipswich Town away from home. They missed out on a blockbuster Premier League opponent but will still rake in a huge pay-day, having reached the furthest point in their FA Cup history.
Maidstone are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition after their shock victory over Stevenage. The National League South side, managed by former Wolves star George Elokobi, booked their place in the fourth round courtesy of Sam Corne’s penalty just before half-time at the Gallagher Stadium.
They are one of two non-league sides left in the competition, along with Eastleigh. The Spitfires, who play one division above Maidstone in the National League, took Newport County to a replay, despite playing with 10-men for almost an hour.
Fourth round ties will be played over the weekend of 27 and 28 January 2024, with fixtures set to be confirmed in due course. All remaining third round replays will be played the week commencing Monday, January 15.
FA Cup 4th round draw in full
Watford v Southampton
Blackburn v Wrexham
Bournemouth v Swansea
West Brom v Brentford/Wolves
West Ham/Bristol City v Nottingham Forest/Blackpool
Leicester v Hull/Birmingham
Sheffield Wednesday v Coventry
Chelsea v Aston Villa
Ipswich v Maidstone United
Liverpool v Norwich/Bristol Rovers
Tottenham v Manchester City
Leeds v Plymouth Argyle
Crystal Palace/Everton v Luton/Bolton
Newport County/Eastleigh v Wigan/Manchester United
Sheffield United v Brighton
Fulham v Newcastle
