The FA Cup quarterfinal draw has thrown up the tie everyone wanted. Manchester City will host Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, setting up what promises to be the standout match of the last eight.
The two sides, who have been trading blows at the top of English football for years, will now meet in a cup tie that carries serious weight. Both clubs will see this as a chance to add silverware to their season, and neither will want to lose to the other.
The draw was made on Monday, with the quarterfinals scheduled for the weekend of April 4.
Elsewhere in the draw, Premier League leaders Arsenal will travel to face Championship side Southampton. The Gunners had little trouble seeing off Mansfield on Saturday, while Southampton booked their spot with a 1-0 win at Fulham, Ross Stewart scoring from the penalty spot deep into injury time to send them through.
West Ham will play host to Leeds United. The Hammers needed a shootout to get past Brentford, drawing 2-2 after 90 minutes before winning 5-3 on penalties. Leeds, by contrast, were comfortable winners, beating Norwich 3-0 on Sunday without much fuss.
The most unlikely story of the round belongs to Port Vale. The League One club, sitting eight points from safety at the bottom of the third tier, stunned Sunderland on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals. It is the first time Vale have made it this far since 1954, and they will now travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.
Chelsea had their own drama to deal with. They twice fell behind against Wrexham at a packed Stok Cae Ras before eventually pulling through 4-2 in extra time, with the Welsh side also having a man sent off. It was far from the routine win many expected.
Vale's run makes them the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, and a trip to Chelsea in the quarterfinals is about as tough a reward as the draw could have served up.
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