A round-up of Barclays Premier League sides in FA Cup fourth round action.
Goals from Nicolas Anelka and Daniel Sturridge saw Chelsea safely through to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Preston North End at Deepdale.
Anelka made the breakthrough in the 36th minute but Darren Carter should have equalised for Preston only to send his shot the wrong side of the post from close range.
That proved to be the turning point with Sturridge extending Chelsea's lead in the 47th minute after John Terry's header had been blocked.
late winner
Reading produced another FA Cup upset as Gylfi Sigurdsson's late winner dumped Burnley out at the Madejski Stadium with a 1-0 triumph.
The Royals had won a replay at Liverpool in the last round, and added another Barclays Premier League scalp after a battling second-half display.
Sigurdsson, who had been a doubt because of a foot injury, latched onto a long ball into the penalty area with just three minutes left to send the Championship side into the fifth round.
Fulham won 3-1 to book their place in the FA Cup fifth round after overcoming a spirited Accrington Stanley side who were reduced to 10 men in the first half.
Having enjoyed the better of the opening stages at the Crown Ground, Stanley fell behind in the 21st minute when Erik Nevland fired in from close range.
The League Two side equalised within four minutes as top scorer Michael Symes tucked away his 14th goal of the season, but then suffered a setback in the 41st minute when Darran Kempson was sent off after bringing down Zoltan Gera.
Second-half strikes from Damien Duff and Gera sealed victory for Fulham as the Barclays Premier League team made the most of their man advantage.
late reply
Aston Villa overcame a first half scare to keep alive their hopes of a Wembley double at the expense of lowly Brighton & Hove Albion with a 3-2 victory at Villa Park.
The Carling Cup finalists were rocked when Nathan Delfouneso's early goal was cancelled out by Tommy Elphick shortly before half-time.
But the midlands club dominated the second period and further goals from acting skipper Ashley Young and Fabian Delph ensured their passage into the last 16 before Nicky Forster's late reply.
First FA Cup goals for Gretar Steinsson and Johan Elmander were enough to put Bolton Wanderers through to the fifth round at the expense of Championship side Sheffield United.
Iceland defender Steinsson fired a shot through goalkeeper Mark Bunn's legs from a narrow angle just after the interval and substitute Elmander converted from a similar position six minutes from time for the 2-0 win.
Birmingham City stretched their unbeaten run to 15 matches as they battled their way into the FA Cup fifth round witha 2-1 sucess over Everton.
The Blues led 2-0 at the break thanks to fine goals from Christian Benitez and Barry Ferguson.
But after substitute Leon Osman had hauled Everton back into the match in the second period, the Midlanders were forced to defend for their lives to advance to the next round.
their blushes
Notts County found themselves just seven minutes away from causing a major FA Cup fourth round upset, only for Barclays Premier League Wigan Athletic to avoid severe embarrassment courtesy of a rousing second-half comeback and draw 2-2.
The financially-troubled League Two club were in dreamland heading into the break on the back of goals from striker Lee Hughes and Ben Davies.
Wigan spared their blushes in the second period as Jason Scotland and Ben Watson hit back to force a February 2nd replay at the DW Stadium.
Portsmouth kept their dreams of a financially-lucrative return to Wembley alive after defeating Sunderland 2-1 to book a spot in the FA Cup fifth Round.
A brilliant brace from Nigerian midfielder John Utaka cancelled out Darren Bent's early strike to give Pompey's suffering supporters reason to be cheerful.
fire home
Ronald Zubar's sublime 84th-minute volley spared Wolverhampton Wanderers' blushes as they twice came from behind to take a spirited Crystal Palace side to an FA Cup fourth-round replay.
The right-back displayed the poise and precision of a world-class striker to fire home and salvage a 2-2 draw for a below-par Wanderers side.
Alan Lee and Darren Ambrose had twice handed the Championship outfit the lead at the start of each half, with David Jones initially levelling matters.
Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford was the FA Cup hero again when he slotted home a last-gasp penalty to make it 2-2 at White Hart Lane to earn a fourth-round replay against Tottenham Hotspur.
Keeper Casper Ankergren will also take the plaudits after saving Jermain Defoe's first-half penalty but it was Beckford who grabbed two equalisers to add to his winner in the previous round against Manchester United.
Peter Crouch grabbed the opener but Beckford replied after the break, then the Leeds striker won and scored his stoppage-time spot-kick after Roman Pavlyuchenko looked to have earned Spurs a win.
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