The cup clash, in which Chelsea won a last-minute draw after a Liverpool own goal in injury time, averaged 8.1m before going on to peak at 10.2m in the second half, giving it an average audience share of 32.9%.
The 10.2m figure narrowly beat ITV1's coverage of the earlier round in the competition, where Liverpool kicked Arsenal out of the Uefa Champions League with an audience of 10.1m. The match had been the most watched football match of the season until now.
On BBC One 'Holby City' had an average share of 21.7% and an average audience of 5.4m.
Channel 4 did well with 2.6m for 'How to Look Good Naked', considering the strong competition from the football.
As the football continued, BBC One continued strongly, pulling in an average of 5.9m for 'Waking the Dead' and a 23.8% share. This jumped to a peak of 6.5m as the football ended and viewers deserted ITV1.
The commercial broadcaster is still unable to hold its audience for 'News at Ten', which last night pulled in an average of 2.3m viewers. It achieved an 11.9% share compared to BBC One's own '10 O'Clock News', which attracted 5m and a 24.8% share.
Five's 'CSI' pulled in 1.7m viewers at 9pm, just beating Channel 4's 'The Diets that Time Forgot' on 1.6m.
In the 10pm slot Channel 4 did well, attracting 2.8m for its 'Heather Mills Documentary'. Channel 4's 10pm slot average is 1.75m viewers, putting 'Heather Mills' well above its timeslot average.
Five continued its 'CSI' night with 'CSI Miami', attracting a respectable 1.4m.
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