Manchester United’s dreams of the double were dashed as Chelsea’s Demba Ba broke Red Devil hearts and denied a semi-final showdown with rivals City.
The former Newcastle United man’s classy finish shortly after the break was enough to book the holders a semi-final date with Roberto Mancini’s men.
United – missing Wayne Rooney – came closest to forcing extra-time when Javier Hernandez forced Petr Cech into a magnificent stop.
Sir Alex Ferguson threw Robin van Persie and Ryan Giggs into the fray, but neither could draw United level, leaving the Red Devils to focus on securing a 20th top-flight title.
Image courtesy of Chelsea TV, via YouTube, with thanks
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.