Carling Cup Information
The 2009/10 season marks the 50th edition of the Football League Cup.
Back in 1967, Wembley Stadium hosted the first ever League Cup final, when 97,925 people saw Queens Park Rangers defeat West Bromwich Albion 3-2. Since then, the most successful League Cup side has been Liverpool; they have won the trophy on 7 occasions from 1981-2003 and have also been runners-up 3 times.
The competition has been sponsored by a variety of companies, such as Coca-Cola and Worthington, and since 2003 it has been named the Carling Cup.
In recent years, the Carling Cup has represented a good opportunity for clubs outside the so-called ‘Big Four’ to try and qualify for Europe and get some silverware. Surprise winners such as Leicester City (2000), Blackburn Rovers (2002), Middlesbrough (2004) and Tottenham Hotspur (2008) have all won the trophy in recent years, while sides such as Tranmere Rovers (2000), Birmingham City (2001), Bolton Wanderers (2004) and Wigan Athletic (2006) have all been losing finalists.
See the latest odds for the 2010/11 Carling Cup here.
Last 10 Carling Cup Finals:
2009: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Man United won 4-1 on penalties)
2008: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea (After Extra-Time)
2007: Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
2006: Manchester United 4-0 Wigan Athletic
2005: Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool (After Extra-Time)
2004: Middlesbrough 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
2003: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United
2002: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
2001: Liverpool 1-1 Birmingham City (Liverpool won 5-4 on penalties)
2000: Leicester City 2-1 Tranmere Rovers