What are the best League Cup finals ever?
Ones that include plenty of drama and goals, of course. But everyone also loves a giant-killing. Except fans of the giant, of course.
While neither Liverpool nor Chelsea can be classed as an underdog for this year's final, what the game could give us is plenty of action - something this competition hasn’t exactly been short of over the years. From overhead winners to 330-minute-long tussles, managers shushing fans to penalty heroics, this selection of cup finals should whet your appetite for Sunday...
10. Luton 3-2 Arsenal, 1988
Despite competing in the same division as their opponents at the time, Luton were considered massive underdogs when they faced George Graham’s defending League Cup champions at Wembley.
Brian Stein’s goal gave Town a shock lead, but two strikes in three minutes after the break from Martin Hayes and Alan Smith put the Gunners in charge. When they won an 80th-minute penalty, the game looked dead as a contest.
Instead, Nigel Winterburn’s effort from 12 yards was saved and the Hatters roared back as Danny Wilson levelled with a header, before Stein secured Luton’s only major honour with a last-minute winner.
9. Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea, 2008
With the 2008 final in extra-time, in the first League Cup game played at the new Wembley, Jonathan Woodgate stepped up to hand Tottenham their first - and to date, only - trophy in the 21st century.
Juande Ramos' stuttering Spurs overcame Chelsea in London that day, despite going behind in the first half to a Didier Drogba free-kick. Dimitar Berbatov's penalty took the game into extra-time, though, helping Woodgate become the Tottenham hero.
A helping hand from Petr Cech ensured he got his head on the ball, and despite Ramos lasting just eight more months in charge, he'll be remembered for handing the club their most-recent trophy.
8. Aston Villa 3-2 Everton, 1977 (second replay)
Third time lucky. Villa and Everton had played out two dull draws in their first couple of attempts at deciding the League Cup, but rewarded fans at Old Trafford for their patience in the second replay.
Bob Latchford put the Toffees in front before an incredible 40-yard strike from Chris Nicholl levelled things. Brian Little then nudged Villa ahead but Mick Lyons quickly responded to equalise with the third goal of a mad four-minute period.
The teams were finally separated after 330 minutes of deadlock, however, when Little nicked it with his second goal of the game a minute before the end of extra time.
7. Liverpool 1-1 Birmingham (5-4 on pens), 2001
The first of Liverpool's cup treble in 2001 came in the first major football final to be played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, as the Reds squeezed past Birmingham on penalties to land their first piece of silverware in six years.
Robbie Fowler had put Liverpool ahead in normal time, with Gerard Houlier's side seemingly comfortable in seeing the game out against the second-tier opposition. In the 90th-minute, though, Birmingham were awarded a penalty, with centre-back Darren Purse leathering the ball past Sander Westerveld in the Liverpool goal.
Unfortunately, Blues' penalty luck ran out in the shootout, as a young Andy Johnson missed the decisive kick that handed Liverpool the crown. The 2001 League Cup final was dramatic, and will forever be remembered for the first major English final to be decided by a shootout.
6. Nottingham Forest 3-2 Southampton, 1979
It’s fair to say Nottingham Forest were in a good place going into their final clash with Southampton. They were defending champions, league champions and 4-1 up midway through their two-legged European Cup quarter-final – a competition they would go on to win.
However, the night before this game, Brian Clough encouraged his players to see off a crate of champagne after some mild boozy success against Liverpool earlier in the season, but it showed as they trudged in at half-time 1-0 down to David Peach’s goal.
They soon took control as Garry Birtles struck twice and Tony Woodcock added another, though, making Nick Holmes’s late goal for Saints nothing more than a consolation.
5. Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool, 2005
Jose Mourinho's love of the League Cup started in 2005, as he won his Chelsea trophy as manager against a Liverpool side full of character. However, things didn't start quite as the Portuguese would have imagined, with John Arne Riise putting Liverpool ahead inside a minute of the first whistle.
As Chelsea chased an equaliser, Steven Gerrard suffered heartbreak as he scored an own goal to level the scores and send the game into extra-time - though not before Mourinho had sprinted down the touchline and told Liverpool fans to be quiet through a 'shush' gesture. Inevitably, he received a red card, but that didn't dampen his spirits as Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman stepped up in extra-time to hand Chelsea the win.
Antonio Nunez – remember him? – got a consolation for Liverpool.
4. Birmingham 2-1 Arsenal, 2011
Nothing other than an Arsenal victory seemed possible at Wembley in 2011, as a Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie-led Gunners side looked to deliver a hammer blow to relegation strugglers Birmingham City. Having not won a trophy in six years, Arsenal fans were ready to celebrate success once more.
Things didn't quite go to plan, however, as the towering Nikola Zigic nodded Birmingham in front. It took just ten minutes for Van Persie to level the scores, but an inspired performance from Ben Foster ensured the Dutchman wouldn't celebrate anymore over the rest of the game.
Disaster then struck for Arsenal, as Obafemi Martins latched onto a loose ball that Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny failed to deal with in the box. The Nigerian made no mistake in finding the back of the net from just yards out, sending Blues fans into pandemonium.
Birmingham were relegated just three months later, but their first trophy since 1963 was a major sweetener.
3. Swindon 3-1 Arsenal, 1969
In a game that scarred young Nick Hornby for life, Swindon stunned Arsenal with another shock result just two years after third-tier QPR had humiliated top-flight West Brom.
Roger Smart sprang onto a loose backpass to put the minnows in front, and they defended their lead until Bobby Gould found an equaliser with four minutes remaining.
It was time for a hero and Don Rogers stepped up for Swindon, scoring twice to complete an afternoon beyond their fans’ wildest dreams. Arsenal went on to blame the flu and a heavy pitch, but nobody was listening.
2. Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle, 1976
Forever remembered for Dennis Tueart’s stunning overhead-kick winner, the '76 final featured two sides desperate to end their trophy droughts.
Peter Barnes put City ahead in the first half, before Alan Gowling levelled things. And so it was up to Tueart, a boyhood Newcastle fan, to pull a rabbit out of the hat with a memorable strike.
Tony Book became the first person to win the trophy as both player and manager, while the triumph remained City’s last until 2011.
1. QPR 3-2 West Brom, 1967
The 1967 League Cup final is an historic one, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it was the first to be hosted at Wembley since the competition's inception in 1960, while it also scrapped the two-legged format that did little to increase the spectacle. Most importantly, though, is that third-tier side QPR emerged as the winners, basking in their underdog status on the hallowed turf of the national stadium.
They didn't make it easy for themselves, either. West Brom raced into a two-goal lead by half-time thanks to Clive Clark’s double, but Roger Morgan reduced the deficit. It got even better for QPR as Rodney Marsh and the suitably named Mike Lazarus netted to complete a remarkable fightback, and give headline writers an easy day’s work.
