LONDON (AP):

Nicolas Anelka scored three times as Chelsea came from behind to beat Watford 3-1 yesterday to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Second from last in the League Cham-pionship, Watford survived a long spell of Chelsea pressure at Vicarage Road to go ahead on a breakaway goal from Tamas Priskin in the 69th minute.

But Chelsea - who replaced manager Luis Felipe Scolari with Guus Hiddink, who on tomorrow takes over on a temporary basis until the end of the season - hit back when Anelka scored with a close-range overhead kick from Frank Lampard's corner in the 75th minute.

Two minutes later, the France striker met a cross from Ashley Cole to guide a header inside the near post.

Seconds after goalkeeper Petr Cech blocked what would have been a Watford equaliser by Jobi McAnuff, Chelsea broke upfield and Anelka spun to fire the third with his left foot and make Chelsea the first team to advance to the quarter-final stage of the competition.

"I don't know what (Hiddink) will learn from that performance," Anelka said. "Maybe he will learn that we are a strong team. "The most important thing today is not about the manager, it was the result and the win."

Drawn games

Saturday's other four games were drawn - Blackburn-Coventry was 2-2, West Ham-Middlesbrough ended 1-1, Hull were held 1-1 by Sheffield United and Fulham could only draw 1-1 at Swansea.

In the only Premier League game, Portsmouth beat Manchester City 2-0 five days after firing manager Tony Adams. Pompey outplayed City at Fratton Park and capitalised with an angled shot by Glen Johnson in the 70th minute and a powerful header by Hermann Hreidarsson five minutes later.

Portsmouth goalkeeper David James set a Premier League record of 536 appearances and marked it with a shutout as Pompey did not concede for the first time in 11 league games.

The result means that City stay ninth in the standings while Portsmouth moved up one place to 15th, four points above the relegation zone.

Man City manager Mark Hughes took off Robinho and Elano, who were outstanding for Brazil in Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Italy, but were poor against Portsmouth.

"International friendlies are different to Premier League games," Hughes said. "Opposition in the Premier League will try and stop the threat of outstanding football players and today Robbie and Ela, among others, found it difficult to stamp their ability on the game. It's not just those two, but a number of players. That's why we struggled."

Manchester United, who have a record 11 FA Cup titles, visit League Championship side Derby today.

Tomorrow, Arsenal host last season's runners-up Cardiff in a fourth-round replay which was postponed because of heavy snow. The winners will face Burnley.