Ahead of Sunday’s showdown, here are 10 memorable finals to whet the appetite
1961 Aston Villa 3 Rotherham United 2
The first League Cup final was played over two legs and fixture congestion meant it was played at the start of the 61/62 campaign. Second Division Rotherham United were not expected to trouble Aston Villa, but they stunned their illustrious opponents, winning the first leg 2-0 at Millmoor in front of just over 12,000 people. Villa, though, were irresistible in the return at Villa Park winning 3-0 with Peter McParland scoring the winner in extra-time.
1967 QPR 3 WBA 2
The first League Cup final held at Wembley rather than over two legs. QPR appeared to be in all sorts of trouble as WBA moved into a two-goal lead thanks to a brace from Colin Clark. The Baggies looked in control of the match, but QPR rallied in the second half and goals from Rodney Marsh, Roger Morgan paved the way for Mark Lazarus to score a famous winner.
One of the biggest shocks seen at Wembley saw League Three Swindon Town humiliate Arsenal. Swindon soaked up intense Arsenal pressure throughout, and took the lead against the run of play when Roger Smart capitalised on a defensive blunder in the first half. Arsenal appeared to have saved themselves when Bobby Gould scored late on to send the game into extra-time, but Don Rogers became a legend in Wiltshire with two goals that stunned English football.
1976 Manchester City 2 Newcastle United 1
The clash of English football’s two great under-achievers was won by Manchester City as Newcastle United began a miserable run of cup final defeats that continues to the present day. The winning goal was a classic, as Dennis Tueart smashed home a stunning overhead kick at the start of the second half.
1977 Aston Villa 3 Everton 2
It required three games to separate the two teams, a drab goalless draw at Wembley followed by a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough, with Everton’s Bob Lathford equalising in the last minute. Villa, though, would not be denied a third time as a sensational long range strike from centre-back Chris Nicoll set them on their way to a win that was secured in the final seconds thanks to Brian Little’s second goal of the game.
1983 Liverpool 2 Manchester United 1
There is nothing better than a cup final contested by two bitter rivals and Liverpool continued to dominate their Lancashire neighbours as goals from Alan Kennedy and Ronnie Whelan cancelled out Norman Whiteside’s opener. It was the third of four consecutive League Cup Final victories for the omnipotent team of their era.
1988 Luton Town 3 Arsenal 2
No club has lost more League Cup finals than Arsenal and they were given another torrid day at Wembley by Luton Town. The Gunners were leading 2-1 with eight minutes to go, but Andy Dibble saved Nigel Winterburn’s spot kick and sparked a breath-taking fightback. A header from Danny Wilson was capped by Mark Stein 90th minute free-kick, which delivered the club’s first and only major trophy.
1990 Nottingham Forest 1 Oldham Athletic 0
An unremarkable game was won thanks to Nigel Jemson’s goal, but it deserves its place in the top 10 as it was the last trophy Brian Clough won as a manager. It was Forest’s second successive League Cup Final triumph and while Clough’s power was fading, he could still deliver silverware to a club that had punched above its weight for the best part of two decades under him.
2011 Birmingham City 2 Arsenal 1
Relegation from the Premier League later that year inflicted lasting damage on Birmingham City, but there is more to football than merely surviving in the top division. Arsenal were huge favourites once again, but Birmingham shocked Arsene Wenger’s side and offered hope to the rest of English football in the process. The cost of relegation was huge, but the memories of that stunning day at Wembley are priceless.
2014 Manchester City 3 Sunderland 1
City were expected to cruise to victory over a Sunderland side that had somehow managed to reach the final despite spending virtually all the season in the bottom three in the Premier League. Sunderland’s supporters helped generate a fantastic atmosphere and City had to come from behind to lift the trophy and it took a stunning goal from Yaya Toure to turn the game in their favour in the second half.
