Big guns land home games in sixth round

Three own goals help Liverpool to 6-1 FA Cup demolition of Brighton but Spurs are held 0-0 by Stevenage (AFP)

With many of the Premier League's top clubs already out of the Cup in previous rounds, the FA Cup sixth -round draw has been kind to the remaining leading clubs, with Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea all receiving home ties – although the two London sides have replays to negotiate first. Liverpool and Spurs have been named as the bookies' favourites, followed by Chelsea, who have yet to guarantee their place in the sixth round.

Eight-time Cup winners Tottenham, held to a goalless draw at Stevenage, will have a home match against Bolton if they win the replay at White Hart Lane. In such poor league form, Chelsea will be keen to continue their success in the FA Cup and Andre Villas-Boas is expected to field a strong side in their fifth-round replay with Birmingham, following their 1-1 draw on Saturday, to guarantee Chelsea's place in the sixth round, where they would play Leicester City.

Both Liverpool and Stoke overcame lower league opposition over the weekend, with Liverpool dispatching Brighton 6-1, and Stoke beating League Two Crawley 2-0. Stoke's manager, Tony Pulis expressed his delight at being "just one win away from Wembley again".

Everton last won the competition in 1995, while Sunderland's best season since reaching the final 20 years ago came in 2004, when they were beaten semi-finalists. Bolton, meanwhile, eased past a plucky Millwall side 2-0 on Saturday.