League Cup England
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or Carling Cup, is an English football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout (single elimination) basis. Unlike the FA Cup where 731 teams entered in 2007–08 only 92 clubs can enter—the 20 clubs of the FA Premier League, and the 72 clubs of The Football League, which organises the competition. Unlike the FA Cup, the semi-finals are played over two legs. The winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League, if they have not qualified for European competition in some other way. (If the winner qualifies for the Champions League, the UEFA Europa League spot is given to the team that finishes highest in the Premier League that has not already qualified for a European competition.)
Since 1982, the League Cup has been named after its sponsor, giving it the following names:
* Milk Cup (1981–82 to 1985–86), sponsored by the Milk Marketing Board
* Littlewoods Challenge Cup (1986–87 to 1989–90), sponsored by Littlewoods
* Rumbelows Cup (1990–91 and 1991–92), sponsored by Rumbelows
* Coca-Cola Cup (1992–93 to 1997–98), sponsored by Coca-Cola
* Worthington Cup (1998–99 to 2002–03), sponsored by Worthington Draught bitter
* Carling Cup (2003–04 to present), sponsored by Carling
The League Cup is less prestigious than the FA Cup,[citation needed] which also involves all other league teams (the Football League Trophy does not include the top two divisions)[1]. The League Cup is seen by some larger clubs as a lower priority than other competitions. Some clubs have made a point of fielding a weaker side in the competition, making the opportunity for so-called 'giant-killing' of the larger clubs more likely. The Video Highlights Live Many of the top English sides, Arsenal and Manchester United in particular, have used the competition to give young players valuable big-game experience.
Manchester United 5-3 Blackburn Rovers - 03/12/2008 Goals League Cup England goals : 36'[1 - 0]C.A. Tevez 40'[2 - 0]Nani 48'[2 - 1]B. McCarthy 51'[3 - 1]C.A. Tevez (pen.) 54'[4 - 1]C.A. Tevez 84'[4 - 2]M. Derbyshire 90'[5 - 3]C.A. Tevez B. McCarthy Manchester U. 5- 3 Blackburn R.
Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and is one of the most popular football clubs in the world,[3] with over 330 million supporters worldwide[4][5] – almost 5% of the world's population.[6] The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the exception of the 1974–75 season. Average attendances at the club have been higher than any other team in English football for all but six seasons since 1964–65.[7]
The club is the second most successful in the history of English football and by far the most successful of recent times, having won 20 major honours since the start of Alex Ferguson's reign as manager in November 1986.[8] They are the Premier League's reigning champions, and have won England's top division 17 times, one short of Liverpool's record of 18 league titles. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1. They won a second European Cup as part of an unprecedented Treble in 1999, before winning their third in 2008, 40 years almost to the day after their first. The club also holds the record for the most FA Cup titles with 11.[9]
