Tottenham could be just 90 minutes away from a first trophy in 13 years after battling their way into the Carabao Cup final.
Jose Mourinho will look to follow in the footsteps of twice winner Bill Nicholson, George Graham and Juande Ramos when he sends his side out at Wembley in April chasing the club’s fifth EFL Cup success.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Spurs’ four previous final wins in the competition.
Tottenham 2 Aston Villa 0, February 27, 1971
Martin Chivers was the hero at Wembley as a Spurs side including World Cup winner Martin Peters and captained by Alan Mullery left it late to squeeze past Villa beneath the Twin Towers. The England international fired Nicholson’s men ahead with his 29th goal of the season somewhat against the run of play with 12 minutes remaining, and then doubled his tally four minutes later to secure the trophy.
Tottenham 1 Norwich 0, March 3, 1973
Two years later, eight of the men who had started against Villa – Pat Jennings, Joe Kinnear, Cyril Knowles, Phil Beal, Alan Gilzean, Steve Perryman, Chivers and Peters – were back at Wembley to face Norwich. They were dealt a blow when midfielder John Pratt limped off with just 25 minutes gone, but it was his replacement Ralph Coates who won it, blasting home the only goal of the game 18 minutes from time.
Leicester 0 Tottenham 1, March 21, 1999
On this day in 1999, we beat Leicester 1-0 to lift the League Cup! #COYSpic.twitter.com/TzWo7rbzC5— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 21, 2017
Victory arrived even later in 1999 as Graham joined Nicholson as a League Cup winner. Playing with only 10 men following full-back Justin Edinburgh’s dismissal after a clash with Robbie Savage, Tottenham won it in stoppage time when Allan Nielsen dived to head past goalkeeper Kasey Keller after Steffen Freund’s cross had been parried.
Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1 (after extra time), February 24, 2008
The 2008 Carling Cup final, the first played at a redeveloped Wembley after seven editions in Cardiff, provided an even more dramatic conclusion. Holders Chelsea led through Didier Drogba’s first-half goal until a 70th-minute Dimitar Berbatov penalty took the game to extra time, where defender Jonathan Woodgate handed Ramos the trophy after keeper Petr Cech palmed the ball onto his forehead as they challenged for a free-kick.
