Premier League adversaries Manchester and Arsenal will get another chance to do battle at Old Trafford after being drawn on Wednesday to play each other in a mouth-watering League Cup quarter-final. The clubs have been at loggerheads since United won 2-0 at Old Trafford last month, an ill-tempered match that ended Arsenal’s unbeaten run of 49 league games and was followed by a food fight in the tunnel prompting an investigation. In other ties, Premier League leaders Chelsea make the short trip to West London neighbours Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur under new manager Martin Jol welcome Liverpool, trophy winners a record seven times, and second division Watford host Portsmouth. But the tie of the round is champions Arsenal looking for a measure of revenge in Manchester where their defeat was followed by reports that their players had hurled soup and pizza at United manager Alex Ferguson in the tunnel after the game. United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy was banned for three matches for a crude tackle on defender Ashley Cole while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was charged by the FA on Monday with improper conduct over a reported comment about Van Nistelrooy. The clubs have met behind the scenes to try to repair the damage but have still been summoned to a meeting with the FA, which is determined to prevent a repeat of the public relations fiasco that followed the tunnel fracas. The fallout from the October 24 match and the so-called Battle of the Buffet that followed has dominated the British media and the form of both clubs appears to have been affected by the game. Arsenal have not won in the league since. Wenger has played a young team in the previous rounds and fielded a side with an average age of 19 for the 3-1 win over Everton on Tuesday. It remains to be seen if he will stick with the same players. But Ferguson hinted he would again field the mix of first team and reserve players that have reached the last eight, saying, “I’ll just play the same side.” (Reuters) RESULTS• Liverpool 2 Middlesbrough 0• Man United 2 Crystal Palace 0• Chelsea 2 Newcastle United 0• Fulham 4 Nottingham Forest 2
