English Football League Cup ( English EFL Cup ) is an English football elimination cup tournament organized by the English Football League [1] . The tournament was founded in 1960 under the name Football League Cup ( English Football League Cup , under this name the tournament was held until 2016) and is considered the second most important national cup for English football clubs after the FA Cup [2] . All 72 English Football League clubs and 20 Premier League clubs participate in the draw. In the first six years of the tournament, the final consisted of two matches: one game was played at the home stadium of each of the participating teams in the final. The first Cup of the Football League was won by Aston Villa , who defeated Rotherham United with a score of 3: 2 in the sum of two matches (while losing the first match with a score of 2: 0). The first one-match tournament final took place in 1967: the Queens Park Rangers beat West Bromwich Albion in London's Wembley with a score of 3: 2 [1] .
Liverpool won the Football League Cup more often than other clubs - 8 times [3] , including four consecutive wins from 1981 to 1984 . “ Nottingham Forest ” won twice twice in a row - in 1978 and 1979 , as well as in 1989 and 1990 . Arsenal lost in the league cup finals more often than other clubs, namely 5 times.
In 2013, the representative of Wales “ Swansea City ” won the cup for the first time, having beaten the Bradford City club in the final on February 24 at Wembley Stadium [4] .
Content
- 1 History
- 2 Finals
- 2.1 Two-Match Finals
- 2.2 Single Match Finals
- 3 Club wins
- 4 notes
- 5 Links
History
The first winner of the Football League Cup was Aston Villa . In the first six years of the tournament, its finals consisted of two matches. During this period, many clubs from the First Division refused to participate in it, which made it possible for regular clubs from lower divisions to regularly participate in finals. The first League Cup club not part of the First Division was the Queens Park Rangers from the Third Division in 1967. Swindon Town became another club from the Third Division to win the cup in the 1969 finals. “ Sheffield Wensday ”, representing the Second Division , was the last of the clubs to win the League Cup, not playing in the top division of the championship of England (in the final of 1991, “Wensday” beat “Manchester United”) [1] .
In the late 1960s, the winners of this tournament were automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup [5] . After that, clubs from the First Division began to participate in the tournament, and all 92 Football League clubs took part in the 1969/70 draw for the first time. The format of the final by that time also changed: now it was a one-match final, which was held at London's Wembley . In 1977, the first replay of the final in the history of the tournament took place, when Aston Villa took two matches to defeat Everton . The first replay was at Hillsboro in Sheffield , the second at Old Trafford in Manchester [1] .
The following year, Nottingham Forest won the tournament, repeating its success a year later. Thus, Nottingham was the first club to win two League Cups in a row. The first Nottingham League Cup won against Liverpool (this required a replay on Old Trafford), and the second against Southampton 3-2. Liverpool won four league cups in a row from 1981 to 1984, which is the record of the tournament. Nottingham Forest won two League Cups in a row in 1989 and 1990 for the second time [5] .
The last replay of the finals in the history of the tournament took place in 1997: in the match at Wembley, Leicester City and Middlesbrough lost a draw 1: 1, and in the replay at Hillsboro, Leicester City won 1-0 in extra time : 0. After that, the rules for the finals were changed, and instead of the replay penalty shoot-outs were appointed [6] . From 2001 to 2007 , the finals took place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (Wales), since Wembley was closed for reconstruction [1] . Since 2008, the final matches were again held at Wembley. The first of them was won by Tottenham Hotspur , who beat Chelsea 2-1 in extra time [7] .
In 2013, the representative of Wales, Swansea City , won the cup for the first time, beating the Bradford City club in the final on February 24 at Wembley Stadium [4] .
Finals
- Decryption
| (R) | Replay |
| (2R) | Second replay |
| † | The match went into overtime |
| * | The match ended in a penalty shootout |
| Bold font | Shows the winner of the two-match final |
| Italics | Shows a club that is not part of the top division of English football (since the foundation of the Football League in 1888) |
Two-Match Finals
| The final | The hosts | Score | Guests | Stadium | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Rotherham United | 2-0 | Aston Villa | Millmoor | 12,226 |
| Aston Villa | 3: 0 † | Rotherham United | Villa Park | 31 202 | |
| Aston Villa won by the sum of two matches with a score of 3: 2 | |||||
| 1962 | Rochdale | 0: 3 | Norwich city | Sportland | 11 123 |
| Norwich city | 1-0 | Rochdale | Carrow Road | 19,708 | |
| “Norwich City” won by the sum of two matches with a score 4: 0 | |||||
| 1963 | Birmingham city | 3: 1 | Aston Villa | St andrews | 31 850 |
| Aston Villa | 0: 0 | Birmingham city | Villa Park | 37 921 | |
| Birmingham City won by the sum of two matches with the score 3: 1 | |||||
| 1964 | Stoke City | 1: 1 | Leicester City | Victoria Ground | 22 309 |
| Leicester City | 3: 2 | Stoke City | Philbert Street | 25,372 | |
| "Leicester City" won the sum of two matches with a score of 4: 3 | |||||
| 1965 | Chelsea | 3: 2 | Leicester City | Stamford bridge | 20 690 |
| Leicester City | 0: 0 | Chelsea | Philbert Street | 26,958 | |
| Chelsea won by the sum of two matches with a score of 3: 2 | |||||
| 1966 | West Ham United | 2: 1 | West Bromwich Albion | Boleyn Ground | 28 341 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 4: 1 | West Ham United | Hawthorns | 31 925 | |
| “West Bromwich Albion” won by the sum of two matches with a score of 5: 3 | |||||
Single Match Finals
| The final | Winner | Score | Loser | Stadium | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Queens Park Rangers | 3: 2 | West Bromwich Albion | Wembley | 97 925 |
| 1968 | Leeds United | 1-0 | Arsenal | Wembley | 97 887 |
| 1969 | Swindon town | 3: 1 † | Arsenal | Wembley | 98 189 |
| 1970 | Manchester city | 2: 1 † | West Bromwich Albion | Wembley | 97 963 |
| 1971 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2: 1 | Aston Villa | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1972 | Stoke City | 2: 1 | Chelsea | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1973 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1-0 | Norwich city | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1974 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2: 1 | Manchester city | Wembley | 97 886 |
| 1975 | Aston Villa | 1-0 | Norwich city | Wembley | 95 946 |
| 1976 | Manchester city | 2: 1 | Newcastle United | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1977 | Aston Villa | 0: 0 † | Everton | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1977 (R) | Aston Villa | 1: 1 † | Everton | Hillsboro | 55,000 |
| 1977 (2R) | Aston Villa | 3: 2 † | Everton | Old Trafford | 54,749 |
| 1978 | Nottingham forest | 0: 0 † | Liverpool | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1978 (R) | Nottingham forest | 1-0 | Liverpool | Old Trafford | 54,375 |
| 1979 | Nottingham forest | 3: 2 | Southampton | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1980 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1-0 | Nottingham forest | Wembley | 96,527 |
| 1981 | Liverpool | 1: 1 † | West Ham United | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1981 (R) | Liverpool | 2: 1 | West Ham United | Villa Park | 36 693 |
| 1982 | Liverpool | 3: 1 † | Tottenham Hotspur | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1983 | Liverpool | 2: 1 † | Manchester United | Wembley | 99 034 |
| 1984 | Liverpool | 0: 0 † | Everton | Wembley | 100,000 |
| 1984 (R) | Liverpool | 1-0 | Everton | Main road | 52,089 |
| 1985 | Norwich city | 1-0 | Sunderland | Wembley | 110,000 |
| 1986 | Oxford united | 3-0 | Queens Park Rangers | Wembley | 90 396 |
| 1987 | Arsenal | 2: 1 | Liverpool | Wembley | 96,000 |
| 1988 | Luton Town | 3: 2 | Arsenal | Wembley | 95,732 |
| 1989 | Nottingham forest | 3: 1 | Luton Town | Wembley | 76 130 |
| 1990 | Nottingham forest | 1-0 | Oldham Athletic | Wembley | 74 343 |
| 1991 | Sheffield Wensday | 1-0 | Manchester United | Wembley | 77 612 |
| 1992 | Manchester United | 1-0 | Nottingham forest | Wembley | 76,810 |
| 1993 | Arsenal | 2: 1 | Sheffield Wensday | Wembley | 74 007 |
| 1994 | Aston Villa | 3: 1 | Manchester United | Wembley | 77,231 |
| 1995 | Liverpool | 2: 1 | Bolton Wanderers | Wembley | 75 595 |
| 1996 | Aston Villa | 3-0 | Leeds United | Wembley | 77 065 |
| 1997 | Leicester City | 1: 1 † | Middlesbrough | Wembley | 76 757 |
| 1997 (R) | Leicester City | 1: 0 † | Middlesbrough | Hillsboro | 39,428 |
| 1998 | Chelsea | 2: 0 † | Middlesbrough | Wembley | 77 698 |
| 1999 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1-0 | Leicester City | Wembley | 77 892 |
| 2000 | Leicester City | 2: 1 | Tranmere Rovers | Wembley | 74 313 |
| 2001 | Liverpool | 1: 1 * [a] | Birmingham city | Millennium | 73,500 |
| 2002 | Blackburn rovers | 2: 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Millennium | 72,500 |
| 2003 | Liverpool | 2-0 | Manchester United | Millennium | 74,500 |
| 2004 | Middlesbrough | 2: 1 | Bolton Wanderers | Millennium | 72,634 |
| 2005 | Chelsea | 3: 2 † | Liverpool | Millennium | 78,000 |
| 2006 | Manchester United | 4-0 | Wigan Athletic | Millennium | 66 866 |
| 2007 | Chelsea | 2: 1 | Arsenal | Millennium | 70 073 |
| 2008 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2: 1 † | Chelsea | Wembley (new) | 87 660 |
| 2009 | Manchester United | 0: 0 * [b] | Tottenham Hotspur | Wembley (new) | 88 217 |
| 2010 | Manchester United | 2: 1 | Aston Villa | Wembley (new) | 88 596 |
| 2011 | Birmingham city | 2: 1 | Arsenal | Wembley (new) | 88,500 |
| 2012 | Liverpool | 2: 2 * [c] | Cardiff city | Wembley (new) | 89 041 |
| 2013 | Swansea city | 5: 0 | Bradford City | Wembley (new) | 89,000 |
| 2014 | Manchester city | 3: 1 | Sunderland | Wembley (new) | 84 697 |
| 2015 | Chelsea | 2-0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Wembley (new) | 89,294 |
| 2016 | Manchester city | 1: 1 * [d] | Liverpool | Wembley (new) | 86 206 |
| 2017 | Manchester United | 3: 2 | Southampton | Wembley (new) | 85,264 |
| 2018 | Manchester city | 3-0 | Arsenal | Wembley (new) | 85 671 |
| 2019 | Manchester city | 0: 0 * [e] | Chelsea | Wembley (new) | 81,775 |
- ↑ Liverpool won in the penalty shootout with a score of 5: 4.
- ↑ Manchester United won in the penalty shootout with a score of 4: 1.
- ↑ Liverpool won in the penalty shootout 3–2.
- ↑ Manchester City won in the penalty shootout 3-1.
- ↑ Manchester City won the penalty shootout 4–3.
Club Victories
| Club | Winners | Finalists | Victory in the finals | Defeats in the finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 8 | four | 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2012 | 1978, 1987, 2005, 2016 |
| Manchester city | 6 | one | 1970, 1976, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 | 1974 |
| Manchester United | 5 | four | 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2017 | 1983, 1991, 1994, 2003 |
| Chelsea | 5 | 3 | 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015 | 1972, 2008, 2019 |
| Aston Villa | 5 | 3 | 1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996 | 1963, 1971, 2010 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | four | four | 1971, 1973, 1999, 2008 | 1982, 2002, 2009, 2015 |
| Nottingham forest | four | 2 | 1978, 1979, 1989, 1990 | 1980, 1992 |
| Leicester City | 3 | 2 | 1964, 1997, 2000 | 1965, 1999 |
| Arsenal | 2 | 6 | 1987, 1993 | 1968, 1969, 1988, 2007, 2011, 2018 |
| Norwich city | 2 | 2 | 1962, 1985 | 1973, 1975 |
| Birmingham city | 2 | one | 1963, 2011 | 2001 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 | 0 | 1974, 1980 | - |
| West Bromwich Albion | one | 2 | 1966 | 1967, 1970 |
| Middlesbrough | one | 2 | 2004 | 1997, 1998 |
| Queens Park Rangers | one | one | 1967 | 1986 |
| Leeds United | one | one | 1968 | 1996 |
| Stoke City | one | one | 1972 | 1964 |
| Luton Town | one | one | 1988 | 1989 |
| Sheffield Wensday | one | one | 1991 | 1993 |
| Swindon town | one | 0 | 1969 | - |
| Oxford united | one | 0 | 1986 | - |
| Blackburn rovers | one | 0 | 2002 | - |
| Swansea city | one | 0 | 2013 | - |
| West Ham United | 0 | 2 | - | 1966, 1981 |
| Everton | 0 | 2 | - | 1977, 1984 |
| Sunderland | 0 | 2 | - | 1985, 2014 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 0 | 2 | - | 1995, 2004 |
| Southampton | 0 | 2 | - | 1979, 2017 |
| Rotherham United | 0 | one | - | 1961 |
| Rochdale | 0 | one | - | 1962 |
| Newcastle United | 0 | one | - | 1976 |
| Oldham Athletic | 0 | one | - | 1990 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 0 | one | - | 2000 |
| Wigan Athletic | 0 | one | - | 2006 |
| Cardiff city | 0 | one | - | 2012 |
| Bradford City | 0 | one | - | 2013 |
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 The History of the League Cup. Football League Cup.
- ↑ Barney Ronay. Why Everton or Spurs must win the Carling Cup. Guardian.co.uk. 01/23/2008.
- ↑ Carling Cup All Time Stats. Football League Cup.
- ↑ 1 2 Swansea wins the English League Cup - football.ua
- ↑ 1 2 League Cup History. Football League. Archived January 6, 2009.
- ↑ League Cup Past Winners. Football League. Archived December 3, 2013.
- ↑ Jonathan Stevenson. Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea. BBC Sport. 02.24.2008.