1996-97_Football_League_Cup
1996–97 Football League Cup
Football tournament season
The 1996–97 Football League Cup (known as the Coca-Cola Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 37th Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs.
| League Cup, Coca-Cola Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 92 |
| Defending champions | Aston Villa |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Leicester City (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Middlesbrough |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Fabrizio Ravanelli (9 goals) |
The tournament was won by Leicester City, who beat Middlesbrough 1–0 in the final replay at Hillsborough after finishing 1–1 at Wembley Stadium.[1][2]
66 of the First, Second and Third Division clubs competed from the first round. Each section was divided equally into a pot of seeded clubs and a pot of unseeded clubs. Clubs' rankings depended upon their finishing position in the 1995–96 season.
First leg
Second leg
The 33 winners from the first round joined the 15 Premier League clubs not participating in European competition plus the 3 non-promoted play-off teams from the First Division and the 3 relegated clubs from the Premier League in the 1995–96 season in round two. First leg matches were played on the 17 and 18 September, second leg matches were played on 24 and 25 September.
First leg
Second leg
The 27 winners from the second round joined the five Premiership clubs participating in European competition in round three. Matches were played on 22 and 23 October.
Ties
| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn Rovers | 0–1 | Stockport County | 22 October 1996 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | Chelsea | 22 October 1996 |
| Gillingham | 2–2 | Coventry City | 22 October 1996 |
| Ipswich Town | 4–1 | Crystal Palace | 22 October 1996 |
| Wimbledon | 1–1 | Luton Town | 22 October 1996 |
| Port Vale | 0–0 | Oxford United | 22 October 1996 |
| York City | 0–2 | Leicester City | 22 October 1996 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1–1 | Liverpool | 23 October 1996 |
| Leeds United | 1–2 | Aston Villa | 23 October 1996 |
| Manchester United | 2–1 | Swindon Town | 23 October 1996 |
| Middlesbrough | 5–1 | Huddersfield Town | 23 October 1996 |
| Newcastle United | 1–0 | Oldham Athletic | 23 October 1996 |
| Southampton | 1–1 | Lincoln City | 23 October 1996 |
| Stoke City | 1–1 | Arsenal | 23 October 1996 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–1 | Sunderland | 23 October 1996 |
| West Ham United | 4–1 | Nottingham Forest | 23 October 1996 |
Replays
| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry City | 0–1 | Gillingham | 13 November 1996 |
| Luton Town | 1–2[3] | Wimbledon | 12 November 1996 |
| Oxford United | 2–0 | Port Vale | 5 November 1996 |
| Liverpool | 4–1 | Charlton Athletic | 13 November 1996 |
| Lincoln City | 1–3 | Southampton | 12 November 1996 |
| Arsenal | 5–2 | Stoke City | 13 November 1996 |
Most matches were played on 26 November 27 November with two replays being played on 18 December.
| Bolton Wanderers | 6–1 | Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
McGinlay  9' 37' 74' (pen) Taggart 60' Blake 79' Taylor 86' |
Sheringham 19' |
| Leicester City | 2–0 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Claridge 38' Heskey 77' |
| Middlesbrough | 3–1 | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
| Whyte 27' Beck 61' Ravanelli 89' |
Shearer 45' |
| West Ham United | 1–1 | Stockport County |
|---|---|---|
| Răducioiu 12' |
Cavaco 51' |
Replays
| Southampton | 3–2 | Oxford United |
|---|---|---|
| Berkovic 21' Dryden 52' Østenstad 58' |
Jemson 42' Ford 59' |
| Stockport County | 2–1 | West Ham United |
|---|---|---|
| Dowie 23' (og) Angell 27' |
Dicks 22' |
The four matches were played between 8 and 29 January.
| Bolton Wanderers | 0–2 | Wimbledon |
|---|---|---|
| Ekoku 3' Leonhardsen 22' |
| Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Hignett 14' Vickers 27' |
McManaman 65' |
| Stockport County | 2–2 | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| Armstrong 25' Cavaco 26' |
Østenstad 16' 85' |
Replay
| Southampton | 1–2 | Stockport County |
|---|---|---|
| Le Tissier 9' |
Angell 63' Mutch 83' |
The semi-final draw was made in January 1997 after the conclusion of the quarter finals. Unlike the other rounds, the semi-final ties were played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The first leg matches were played on 18 and 26 February 1997, the second leg matches were played on 11 and 12 March 1997. Leicester City went through on away goals to reach their first cup final in 28 years at the expense of Wimbledon, while Division Two underdogs Stockport gave Middlesbrough a run for their money, going out by a single goal.
First leg
| Stockport County | 0–2 | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| Beck 73' Ravanelli 79' |
Second leg
Leicester City win on away goals
Middlesbrough win 2–1 on aggregate
The 1997 Coca-Cola Cup Final was played on 6 April 1997 and was contested between Leicester City and Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium. Leicester won 1–0 in the replay at Hillsborough on 16 April 1997. This was the last year that the Football League Cup Final was decided by a replay.
| Leicester City | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| Heskey 118' |
Report | Ravanelli 95' |
Replay
| Leicester City | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| Claridge 100' |
Report |
- Moore, Glenn (7 April 1997). "Heskey levels at the last to deflate Juninho". The Independent. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- Moore, Glenn (17 April 1997). "Claridge's five-star silver service". The Independent. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- After Extra Time
- Oldham Athletic F.C. won 5–4 on penalties
- Official Carling Cup website
- Carling Cup at bbc.co.uk
- League Cup news, match reports and pictures on Reuters.co.uk
- Results on Soccerbase