League Cup Winners, History and Latest Odds for the Carabao Cup

by , 23 June 2023

The English Football League Cup is a competition that divides opinion. Often regarded as a poor relation to the F.A. Cup, teams have in the past used it to blood youngsters, and few teams would shed tears when they were knocked out. However, the top clubs have taken the competition much more seriously in recent years. This article covers the history, League Cup winners and famous upsets that have taken place. We’ll also share the latest odds on the EFL Cup for the 2023/24 season.

League Cup winners

The English Football League Cup (EFL Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup, is one of the three domestic cups (Premier League, F.A. Cup) contested every season. EFL Cup betting is hugely popular with fans due to the shock results that take place each and every season.

Ninety-two teams from the top four divisions of the English football pyramid, the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two, compete. The competition began in 1960 and is played over seven rounds except for the semi-finals; all the rounds are all single leg, with the finals played at Wembley Stadium.

The current winners are Manchester United, who secured their sixth title with a 2-0 win against Newcastle last season, while the most dominant team is Liverpool, with nine titles.

The winner gains direct entry into the UEFA Europa Conference League. Throughout the years, the Carabao Cup has gained relevance, and we will have a look at the competition’s rise to prominence and why it was overlooked for long.

Compared to the Premier League and the F.A. Cup, the EFL Cup is relatively lower in prestige regarding the prize money, as the winner receives about £100,000 compared to the F.A. Cup winners, who receive a much more substantial £2,000,000.

We will then look at the teams that have triumphed exceptionally in the competition, the underdog stories, the notable League Cup winners, recent English League Cup winners and the current trends. Then we focus on the following year’s edition as we look at who are the favourites, the odds for the teams, and what to look out for in the upcoming editions.

The Early Years of the League Cup

The EFL Cup was established in 1960-61, with the inaugural winners being Aston Villa, who at the time were one of the form teams in England. The competition was established when football in England had a hard time with the number of spectators dropping. There was also a dispute between the Football League and the Football Association because of revenue sharing among the teams. The Cup took advantage of the development of floodlights and was mainly played on weekday evenings replacing the Southern Professional Floodlit Cup.

Over the years, the EFL Cup has been a ridiculed competition, with clubs fielding weaker sides and giving their reserves sufficient playtime. The main attribute is the small payoff to the winners and demanding midweek commitment for the players, especially when the season has reached its climax.

Teams tend to prioritise Champions League football and their league objective, whether it’s avoiding relegation, European qualification or a title charge, rather than expose their best players to the possibility of getting an injury or accumulating fatigue.

For this reason, especially in early 2000, the competition was nicknamed the ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’.

The main reason for this was that the two top teams in the Premier League teams at the time, Manchester United and Arsenal, fielded youngsters to earn extensive big-game experience, and they didn’t fret or show emotion in response when they were knocked out.

The lesser teams, with all due respect, took this as an opportunity to have a go at the top teams playing intensively to win, fulfilling their utmost desire regardless of the situation. After an extended trophy drought by Arsenal, Arsene Wenger famously said that winning the Carabao Cup would not end the drought, showing how low regard the tournament was held. Alex Ferguson trashed it, terming it as a pot not worth winning.

Pep Guardiola’s arrival in England was a turnaround for the Carabao Cup. The Spaniard brought a good vibe to the competition after the constant disrespect of a gem of a competition that teams put sweat in trying to win. The Manchester City Gaffer had a vast squad which, at a point, Jose Mourinho said the Citizen’s team B had a realistic chance of winning the Premier League. in the spirit of rotation and keeping players match-fit, even when Pep fielded a weaker side, they still dominated games. However, many terms it as his overzealous desire to win, thus bullying weaker sides which prompted other teams to follow the trend in what made the EFL Cup now popular.

The EFL is still a top tournament contested by top teams, with Premier League teams being the most dominant teams in the competition. Manchester City and Manchester United won it six times, the record winners Liverpool won it four times, and Chelsea won it three times, which culminates to nineteen wins since the turn of the century. These are not the numbers you expect, especially with the low regard teams seem to have put to it. The tournament is undoubtedly rising in significance after years of questioning its relevance.

Notable League Cup Victories

Since the turn of the decade, the tournament has been dominated by the top teams that have won all but just four of the twenty-three editions. Let’s look at the teams that beat the matrix to become English League Cup wins against all odds.

2010-11 Birmingham

Arsenal contested the fifty-first edition’s final, who were eager to end a long trophyless reign against Birmingham, who had been relegated from the Premier League that season. Birmingham surprised the Londoners, beating them 2 – 1 to secure their second trophy after they had clinched the 1963 edition. The winners automatically qualified for the UEFA Europa League; thus, they played in Europe for the first time since 1961. The scores were 1 – 1, with the game seemingly heading to extra time until Obafemi Martins struck the all-important winning goal in the eighty-ninth minute.

2012-13 Swansea

Swansea City and Bradford City contested the fifty-third edition final. Swansea had an impressive run to the final, knocking out the defending Champions Liverpool in the fourth round. The ruthless Welsh side thumped Bradford 5 – 0 to win their first English League Cup, becoming the second side from Wales after Cardiff to win the trophy. The goals were scored by Nathan Dyer (2), Michu, and Jonathan de Guzmán (2). They were a dominant Premier League side playing beautiful possession football at the time. They had Spanish maestro, Michu, as their star man in scintillating form, leading them to victory under Michael Laudrup’s management.

2003-04 Middlesbrough

In the 2003-04 season, Middlesbrough F.C. won the League Cup, marking their first major trophy in the club’s 128-year history. The final was held on 29 February 2004 against Bolton Wanderers at the Millennium Stadium. The game started with Middlesbrough taking an early 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Joseph Desire-Job and Bolo Zenden. A mistake from Middlesbrough’s goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, allowed Kevin Davies of Bolton Wanderers to get one back, making the score 2-1 at half time. Despite both teams having chances to score in the second half, the score remained the same, securing Middlesbrough’s historic victory.

2001-02 Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn beat Tottenham Hotspur in the forty-second edition of the games to win the English League Cup for the first time in history. They had just been promoted back to the Premier League and were enjoying a significant spell led by the eventual tournament top scorer Matt Jansen (six goals), who scored the opening goal in the final. Blackburn went ahead to win 2 – 1, with legendary striker Andy Cole scoring the winning goal after Christian Ziege had put the scores level. Cole had won the Treble at his time at Manchester United but moved to Blackburn for £ 8 million in 2001 after the club had secured the services of Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Dominant Teams in League Cup History

In this section, we will highlight Nottingham Forest, who became the first to win consecutive titles, and then look at Liverpool and Manchester City, who won four successive titles in different eras.

Liverpool has been to thirteen finals and won nine of them. Their most recent win in 2022, covered by betting sites which accept £10 bets and many other UK sportsbooks, ended a decade wait for the trophy when they went past Chelsea in penalties (11 – 10) after a goalless draw. The victory raised Liverpool’s hopes of pulling off an unprecedented quadruple. However, they had to settle for a domestic double (Carabao and F.A. Cup) after losing in the Champions League final to Real Madrid and finishing a close second to Manchester City in the Premier League.

Their most successful reign was from 1981 to 1984. Their first triumph was in 1981 came against West Ham, with the game needing a replay after a 1 – 1 draw in the first leg. The Reds won 2 – 1 in the replay for their first triumph.

The first sponsors of the English League Cup were the Milk Cup; Liverpool graced the inaugural edition of the Milk Cup era as the reigning Champions and went ahead to win the first three editions (1982, 1983, and 1984). They won at extra time in 82 and 83 against Spurs by a 3 – 1 scoreline and 2 – 1 against United. They then needed a replay in the Merseyside final against Everton after a goalless first game; they won by a single goal in the replay.

Manchester City has been very effective, reaching nine finals and winning eight. They have two players, Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero, who have won the tournament a record six times in their time with them. The Citizens won four consecutive titles between 2018 and 2021. They beat Arsenal 3 – 0 to win in 2018 and needed a 4 – 3 penalty scoreline to get past Chelsea in 2019. They beat the inaugural winners, Villa, 2 – 1 in 2020, and their most recent triumph in 2021 saw them overcome Tottenham Hotspurs 1 – 0 to achieve the joint most consecutive Winners of the League Cup.

Nottingham Forest became the first side to win two consecutive league Cup winners. They beat Liverpool 1 – 0 in the replay after a goalless first game and beat Southampton 3 – 2 to win the following year. They had a chance to make it a magical three in a row but lost 1 – 0 in the final to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Underdog Success Stories in the League Cup

The Goliaths’ have not always triumphed in the English League Cup as we have seen underdog stories, especially in this cup, then in the F.A. Cup. Over the years, the main reason for this has been the lack of seriousness the teams have taken in the Carabao Cup, fielding weak teams against determined underdogs keen to make a mark on the occasion. Here are some of the great stories from these kinds of games.

Our top pick is the 1967 finals between Top flight side West Bromwich and division three side Queens Park Rangers in Wembley. Being a final, you would expect both sides to have fielded their best eleven. West Brom was leading the tie 2 – 0 at halftime, and everything looked destined for a win for the top-flight side. QPR overturned the two-goal lead to win 3 – 2 to win the Wembley final against a top-flight team to be crowned the winners of the League Cup. The 1969 final between Top flight side Arsenal and Swindon Town saw the third-division side lose 3 – 1 in extra time to be the League Cup winners for the first time in their history.

Grimpsy Town built a reputation as the ultimate David, who upset numerous top teams over nine years. They were a third-tier side but didn’t worry about their quality of performances at the level as the downed Premier League sides like an ordinary training day. In their most recent EFL Cup adventure, they travelled to Anfield against the title holders in the 2001-02 season, where they needed extra time to overcome the Reds 2 – 1 on their own turf. They then beat top six sides Tottenham Hotspur in the capital while they were in the fourth tier edging them out 1 – 0. The other impressive outings were beating the then Premier League side Leicester City 3 – 1 and Sheffield United 4 – 3 on aggregate in the 1996-97 season.

Grimsby made footballing headlines last season, reaching the quarter-finals of the F.A. Cup as a League Two side. In an unprecedented achievement in the 151-year history of the F.A. Cup, Grimsby Town emerged as the first team to triumph over opponents from five superior divisions in as many rounds. Their impressive run saw them dispatch three League One adversaries – Plymouth Argyle, Cambridge United, and Burton Albion – along with Championship side Luton Town, and Southampton, a Premier League outfit.

The Complete List of League Cup Winners

Here is a detailed list of the English Cup winners by the years since its inception, the runners up and the scores in the final match.

EFL Cup Winners
Year Winners Score Runners-up Venue Attendance
1961 Aston Villa 3–2 on aggregate Rotherham United Villa Park 31,202
1962 Norwich City 4–0 on aggregate Rochdale Carrow Road 19,708
1963 Birmingham City 3–1 on aggregate Aston Villa Villa Park 37,921
1964 Leicester City 4–3 on aggregate Stoke City Filbert Street 25,372
1965 Chelsea 3–2 on aggregate Leicester City Filbert Street 26,958
1966 West Bromwich Albion 5–3 on aggregate West Ham United The Hawthorns 31,925
1967 Queens Park Rangers 3–2 West Bromwich Albion Wembley Stadium 97,952
1968 Leeds United 1–0 Arsenal Wembley Stadium 97,887
1969 Swindon Town 3–1 Arsenal Wembley Stadium 98,189
1970 Manchester City 2–1 West Bromwich Albion Wembley Stadium 97,963
1971 Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 Aston Villa Wembley Stadium 100,000
1972 Stoke City 2–1 Chelsea Wembley Stadium 97,852
1973 Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Norwich City Wembley Stadium 100,000
1974 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Manchester City Wembley Stadium 97,886
1975 Aston Villa 1–0 Norwich City Wembley Stadium 95,946
1976 Manchester City 2–1 Newcastle United Wembley Stadium 100,000
1977 Aston Villa 3–2 Everton Old Trafford 54,749
1978 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Liverpool Old Trafford 54,375
1979 Nottingham Forest 3–2 Southampton Wembley Stadium 96,952
1980 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Nottingham Forest Wembley Stadium 96,527
1981 Liverpool 2–1 West Ham United Villa Park 36,693
1982 Liverpool 3–1 Tottenham Hotspur Wembley Stadium 100,000
1983 Liverpool 2–1 Manchester United Wembley Stadium 99,304
1984 Liverpool 1–0 Everton Maine Road 52,089
1985 Norwich City 1–0 Sunderland Wembley Stadium 100,000
1986 Oxford United 3–0 Queens Park Rangers Wembley Stadium 90,396
1987 Arsenal 2–1 Liverpool Wembley Stadium 96,000
1988 Luton Town 3–2 Arsenal Wembley Stadium 95,732
1989 Nottingham Forest 3–1 Luton Town Wembley Stadium 77,612
1990 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Oldham Athletic Wembley Stadium 73,332
1991 Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 Manchester United Wembley Stadium 77,612
1992 Manchester United 1–0 Nottingham Forest Wembley Stadium 76,810
1993 Arsenal 2–1 Sheffield Wednesday Wembley Stadium 74,007
1994 Aston Villa 3–1 Manchester United Wembley Stadium 77,231
1995 Liverpool 2–1 Bolton Wanderers Wembley Stadium 75,595
1996 Aston Villa 3–0 Leeds United Wembley Stadium 77,056
1997 Leicester City 1–0† Middlesbrough Wembley Stadium 78,892
1998 Chelsea 2–0 Middlesbrough Wembley Stadium 77,698
1999 Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Leicester City Wembley Stadium 77,892
2000 Leicester City 2–1 Tranmere Rovers Wembley Stadium 74,313
2001 Liverpool 5–4† Birmingham City Milenium Stadium 73,500
2002 Blackburn Rovers 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur Milenium Stadium 72,500
2003 Liverpool 2–0 Manchester United Milenium Stadium 74,500
2004 Middlesbrough 2–1 Bolton Wanderers Milenium Stadium 72,634
2005 Chelsea 3–2† Liverpool Milenium Stadium 78,000
2006 Manchester United 4–0 Wigan Athletic Milenium Stadium 66,866
2007 Chelsea 2–1 Arsenal Milenium Stadium 70,073
2008 Tottenham Hotspur 2–1† Chelsea Wembley Stadium 87,660
2009 Manchester United 0–0† (4–1 penalties) Tottenham Hotspur Wembley Stadium 88,217
2010 Manchester United 2–1 Aston Villa Wembley Stadium 88,596
2011 Birmingham City 2–1 Arsenal Wembley Stadium 88,851
2012 Liverpool 2–2† (3–2 penalties) Cardiff City Wembley Stadium 89,041
2013 Swansea City 5–0 Bradford City Wembley Stadium 82,597
2014 Manchester City 3–1 Sunderland Wembley Stadium 84,697
2015 Chelsea 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Wembley Stadium 89,294
2016 Manchester City 1–1† (3–1 penalties) Liverpool Wembley Stadium 86,206
2017 Manchester United 3–2 Southampton Wembley Stadium 85,264
2018 Manchester City 3–0 Arsenal Wembley Stadium 85,671
2019 Manchester City 0–0† (4–3 penalties) Chelsea Wembley Stadium 81,775
2020 Manchester City 2–1 Aston Villa Wembley Stadium 82,145
2021 Manchester City 1–0 Tottenham Hotspur Wembley Stadium 7,773
2022 Liverpool 0–0 (11-10 pens) Chelsea Wembley Stadium 85,512
2023 Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United Wembley Stadium 87,306

The Carabao Cup has become an intense and competitive competition, with the top teams fielding their best players to contest for silverware. Since 2000, the Football League Cup winners have been the top six sides winning nineteen of the twenty-three editions. Manchester United are the reigning Champions of the competition. They did not rest their players throughout the competition as Eric Ten Hag secured his first silverware in his debut season.

Ten of the twelve teams that contested the previous six finals were the ‘big six’ in the Premier League. Newcastle, who played in this year’s final against Man United and Aston Villa, who played City in the 2020 final, were the two exceptions but were in their best form to achieve this accomplishment.

Manchester City won the competition four times in a row in this spell shows how significant the trophy has become to the top teams and players. We anticipate that even in the coming years, we will see a similar trend in performance by the top sides, with the English Football League offering an additional source of silverware in a competitive season.

EFL Cup winners by club
Club Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
Liverpool 9 4 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2012, 2022 1978, 1987, 2005, 2016
Manchester City 8 1 1970, 1976, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 1974
Manchester United 6 4 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2023 1983, 1991, 1994, 2003
Aston Villa 5 4 1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996 1963, 1971, 2010, 2020
Chelsea 5 4 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015 1972, 2008, 2019, 2022
Tottenham Hotspur 4 5 1971, 1973, 1999, 2008 1982, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2021
Nottingham Forest 4 2 1978, 1979, 1989, 1990 1980, 1992
Leicester City 3 2 1964, 1997, 2000 1965, 1999
Arsenal 2 6 1987, 1993 1968, 1969, 1988, 2007, 2011, 2018
Norwich City 2 2 1962, 1985 1973, 1975
Birmingham City 2 1 1963, 2011 2001
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 0 1974, 1980 —
West Bromwich Albion 1 2 1966 1967, 1970
Middlesbrough 1 2 2004 1997, 1998
Queens Park Rangers 1 1 1967 1986
Leeds United 1 1 1968 1996
Stoke City 1 1 1972 1964
Luton Town 1 1 1988 1989
Sheffield Wednesday 1 1 1991 1993
Swindon Town 1 0 1969 —
Oxford United 1 0 1986 —
Blackburn Rovers 1 0 2002 —
Swansea City 1 0 2013 —
West Ham United 0 2 — 1966, 1981
Newcastle United 0 2 — 1976, 2023
Everton 0 2 — 1977, 1984
Southampton 0 2 — 1979, 2017
Sunderland 0 2 — 1985, 2014
Bolton Wanderers 0 2 — 1995, 2004
Rotherham United 0 1 — 1961
Rochdale 0 1 — 1962
Oldham Athletic 0 1 — 1990
Tranmere Rovers 0 1 — 2000
Wigan Athletic 0 1 — 2006
Cardiff City 0 1 — 2012
Bradford City 0 1 — 2013

The 2024 League Cup: Teams and Latest Odds

The eight-time Champions Manchester City are the outright favourites to win the upcoming edition, with bet365 setting their odds at 7/2.

The defending champions, Manchester United, will be hoping to win consecutive titles, but defending their title will be a harrowing fate. The Red Devils, alongside the 2021-22 winners Liverpool and Arsenal, have their odds set at 7/1. The runners-up of the most recent edition, Newcastle, who have been an upcoming force, have been ranked alongside Chelsea and Tottenham with 11/1 odds.

Brighton is the closest to the top in terms of odds at 14/1, with West Ham and Aston Villa all set at 20/1.

For a competition that many questioned its relevance and importance over the years. The English League Cup has survived the criticism to become one of Europe’s most highly contested trophies. Over the years, we have seen the English League Cup winners list the most dominant team and the rising trends.

The exciting prospect is that the top teams now have an urge to be League Cup winners, making the competition more exciting and highly contested. We hope the rise in its significance will keep improving, and the edition keeps entertaining us with some of the most exciting midweek cup action and competitive finals.

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