Liverpool will face Everton in a repeat of the 1989 FA Cup Final just weeks before the twentieth anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. The Merseyside derby match was the highlight of yesterday’s fourth-round draw, which also condemned Tottenham Hotspur to a second successive trip to Old Trafford at this stage of the competition after Manchester United booked their place with a 3-0 win away to Southampton.

Everton’s short trip to Anfield on the weekend of January 24-25 will evoke memories of the city being united in tragedy during the 1988-89 season, which ended with the clubs meeting in the FA Cup Final at Wembley in May, when Liverpool won 3-2. The final was considered to be the perfect match to mark the tragedy the previous month of the semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, which resulted in the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.

Liverpool are planning several events to commemorate the anniversary, which will be given added poignancy by a first FA Cup meeting with Everton since a fifth-round second replay in 1991, when Kenny Dalglish resigned as manager after a thrilling 4-4 draw in the initial replay. Dalglish has often cited the emotional turmoil caused by Hillsborough as one of the reasons for his shock departure, while Jamie Carragher highlighted the significance of this year’s FA Cup this week by pledging to win the competition in memory of the victims.

“Hillsborough is something we are all obviously aware of,” Carragher said. “Extra significance will be attached to the competition for us. Going on to win it would be the perfect tribute to those who died.”

Liverpool, who will face Everton twice in a week because of a Premier League meeting at Anfield on January 19, could face a wrangle with the Football Association and television companies over the scheduling of the tie.

Under the terms of a new contract with Setanta and ITV, one match in each round takes place on a Friday night this season, which would present a problem for Liverpool as Steven Gerrard is due in court on January 23, which would rule him out of any match that evening. Gerrard faces charges of assault and affray at Sefton magistrates’ court after an incident in a Southport nightclub last week.

Harry Redknapp’s grip on the trophy that he won with Portsmouth in May is somewhat looser after Tottenham were handed a daunting trip to Old Trafford, where they lost 3-1 under Juande Ramos in the fourth round last year.

Nevertheless, Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, has revenge on his mind. He has not forgotten the manner in which Portsmouth, under Redknapp, ended his team’s hopes of winning four trophies with a controversial 1-0 win at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals. “If he has the luck he had against us last season, we have no chance,” Ferguson said.

United’s goals yesterday came from Danny Welbeck, Nani, with a penalty, and Darron Gibson, but Jan Poortvliet, the Southampton coach, was furious with the performance of Mike Riley, the referee, who sent off Matt Paterson for a high tackle on Nemanja Vidic in the first half before awarding United a controversial penalty in the second. “I can’t see any justification for the red card at all,” Poortvliet said. “He is in favour of the top teams. He is a help to the top teams.”

Portsmouth will play non-League Histon or Swansea City if they win their replay against Bristol City, while there is a potentially attractive East Midlands derby match between Derby County and Nottingham Forest in which Billy Davies, the Forest manager, returns to his old club only weeks after taking over at the City Ground. Kettering Town and Torquay United, the non-League survivors, have been rewarded with home ties, against Fulham and Coventry City respectively.

Fourth-round draw
Liverpool v Everton
Manchester United v Tottenham
Hull or Newcastle v Millwall or Crewe
Sunderland v Blyth Spartans or Blackburn
Hartlepool v West Ham
Leyton Orient or Sheff Utd v Charlton or Norwich
Cardiff v Arsenal
Portsmouth or Bristol City v Histon or Swansea
Chelsea or Southend v Ipswich
Cheltenham or Doncaster v Aston Villa
West Brom or Peterborough v QPR or Burnley
Torquay v Coventry
Kettering v Fulham
Watford v Leicester or Crystal Palace
Derby v Nottingham Forest
Birmingham or Wolves v Middlesbrough

Ties to be played over the weekend of January 24-25. Third-round replays January 13-14