Tomorrow afternoon, Manchester City and Sunderland will compete for the right to lift the 54th installment of the League Cup at Wembley.
It's a highly anticipated clash for both teams, largely because it's a competition that neither have been overly successful in. Sunderland have never won it, while City last triumphed back in 1976 courtesy of Dennis Tueart's acrobatics.
So, ahead of that contest, Sports Mole has looked back over five other League Cup finals that have lived long in the memories of supporters.
1. Swindon Town 3-1 Arsenal, 1969
First Division side Arsenal were expected to make light work of Swindon, who at the time were plying their trade in Division Three. The Gunners dominated as was anticipated, but during some first-half confusion between Arsenal's Ian Ure and goalkeeper Bob Wilson, Roger Smart capitalised to put the Robins in front. When Bobby Gould levelled up proceedings four minutes from time to break Swindon hearts, it appeared that there was only going to be one winner during extra time. However, a brace from Don Rogers secured an upset for unfancied Swindon.
2. Aston Villa 3-2 Everton, 1977
After turgid draws at Wembley and Hillsborough, the second replay between these teams at Old Trafford delivered the goods. Everton took the lead through Bob Latchford, but that was cancelled out by Villa's Chris Nicholl, who powered in from 40 yards out. Brian Little then put the Villans in front, only for Mick Lyons to equalise, making it three goals in the space of four minutes. Then, as penalties loomed large, Little scored the winner for Villa after 330 minutes of football.
3. Luton Town 3-2 Arsenal, 1988
Luton and Arsenal may have both been Division One clubs, but holders Arsenal had been tipped to overcome the Hatters with ease. Just as they had done back in 1969, the Gunners failed to deal with the pressure of being favourites. Brian Stein put Luton in front, but goals after the restart from Martin Hayes and Alan Smith saw Arsenal take control. The turning point arrived in the 80th minute when Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn saw his penalty saved by Andy Dibble. It breathed new life into Luton, who won the first major trophy in their history thanks to late goals from Danny Wilson and Stein.
4. Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United, 1994
Sir Alex Ferguson's United were on course to win the Premier League and FA Cup during the 1993-94 season, so needed the League Cup to complete a domestic treble. They had already beaten Villa twice earlier in the campaign, but the Birmingham-based club gained revenge on this occasion. A goal in either half from Dalian Atkinson and Dean Saunders put the Villans in the ascendancy, but Mark Hughes threw United a lifeline with a goal in the 82nd minute. It prompted an onslaught from the Red Devils, but in the 90th minute a counter-attack from Villa ended when United's Andrei Kanchelskis handled Atkinson's shot on the line. The winger was sent off, while Saunders converted the resultant penalty to secure the victory for his team.
5. Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool, 2005
Jose Mourinho would win a number of trophies during his first stint in charge of Chelsea, but this at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium was his first. John Arne Riise scored within the first minute for Liverpool, who seemed to be heading to victory until their skipper Steven Gerrard put through his own net 11 minutes from the end. Chelsea then took control during extra time as Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman found the net, which rendered Antonio Nunez's goal a mere consolation.
Liam Apicella
