MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, March 10, (AFP): Holders Chelsea stormed back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and take their FA Cup quarter-final to a replay. After Javier Hernandez opened the scoring in the fifth minute, Wayne Rooney marked his return to the United team with another early goal to put United 2-0 up at half-time. Alex Ferguson’s side looked poised to move on from the hurt of their Champions League exit to Real Madrid, but second-half goals from Eden Hazard and Ramires meant Chelsea kept a hand on the trophy. United were guilty of an oddly disjointed performance, but Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez - barracked, once again, by his own fans - could point to a second-half double substitution that changed the game’s momentum.

After the pain of Tuesday’s loss to Madrid, Ferguson spared himself further unwanted headlines by recalling Rooney to his starting line-up, with Robin van Persie on the bench. Benitez resorted to what has emerged in recent weeks as his strongest team, meanwhile, with Fernando Torres and captain John Terry both dropping out of the visitors’ line-up. The two clubs’ fans’ had only just started to run through their repertoire of songs about each other when United took the lead. Michael Carrick sent an angled pass over the Chelsea defence and as visiting goalkeeper Petr Cech rushed out, Hernandez guided a gentle header over him and into the net.

Six minutes later it was 2-0, as Rooney announced his return with a goal. Victor Moses was penalised for a foul on Nani near the left-hand apex of the penalty area and from the free-kick, Rooney bent in a cross that eluded everyone to creep inside the right-hand post. Jonny Evans blocked from Demba Ba and Frank Lampard shot straight at David de Gea as Chelsea sought a response, but United were soon back on the attack.

After Hernandez had diverted a Nani cross wide of the near post, Cech produced a magnificent double-save.
The Chelsea goalkeeper was left on the floor after blocking an effort from Rooney but he sprang to touch the ball over the bar when David Luiz inadvertently headed towards his own goal. Cech saved again, from Tom Cleverley, but United grew sloppy, and Moses should have done better than blaze wildly off-target after Juan Mata’s back-heel gave him a good sight of goal in the 39th minute. United then lost Nani to injury just before half-time. In London, Indian-owned Blackburn earned an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Millwall after riding their luck in a 0-0 draw at the Den on Sunday. Michael Appleton’s team were second best for long periods of the last eight clash between two out of form Championship clubs, but they enjoyed their share of good fortune to set up a replay at Ewood Park on Wednesday. Andy Keogh’s first half header struck a post before Lions striker Rob Hulse missed an absolute sitter from close-range in the second half.

Rovers, owned by Indian poultry firm Venky’s, have endured a troubled season in the second-tier after last year’s relegation from the Premier League and Appleton is Blackburn’s third manager of the campaign.
They didn’t have a shot on target against Millwall, yet are still in with a chance of a Wembley semifinal appearance thanks to their escape in south London. Millwall manager Kenny Jackett added: “If you don’t score you’re not going to win games. We did a lot of things right, put a lot of pressure on them and had clear-cut chances without scoring. “That’s been us of late. We need to find the quality to put the ball in the net. That’s the thing that is lacking at the moment.” Rovers stunned Arsenal in the previous round and are yet to concede in this season’s competition, but they found it hard going from the start.

Semifinals draw
Millwall or Blackburn vs Wigan
Manchester United or Chelsea vs Manchester City
Ties to be played on the weekend of April 13/14.