Soccer

League Cup - Football: Liverpool and Chelsea's previous finals

bet365 News Team Updated: Oct 04 2023 16:05 Published: Feb 24 2022 14:09

Liverpool and Chelsea meet for the second time in a League Cup final on Sunday and it's a competition that has been kind to both clubs down the years.

It's the Reds versus the Blues. In one corner, the joint-eight-time record winners who look irresistible at the moment but have not won the League Cup for 10 years. In the other, the European champions - a club who have lifted the trophy a not-so-insignificant five times themselves and who have made winning big finals a dream habit over the past 15 years.

The odds make Liverpool, who are on a nine-game winning run in all competitions, favourites, with Jurgen Klopp's men 13/10 to win in normal time, compared to 11/5 for Chelsea.

However, in a one-off game, it's expected to be very tight. The two league meetings between the pair this season have ended in draws, an outcome that is available at 23/10 in 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Liverpool are 4/6 to lift the trophy and Chelsea are 6/5 to come out on top on Sunday.

Here we look back at both Liverpool and Chelsea's previous League Cup final appearances, with Liverpool featuring in a record 12, compared to Chelsea's eight.

Most League Cup final victories

Team	Wins	Runners-up	Years Won
Liverpool	8	4	1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2012
Manchester City	8	1	1970, 1976, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Aston Villa	5	4	1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996
Manchester United	5	4	1992, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2017
Chelsea	5	3	1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015
Tottenham Hotspur	4	5	1971, 1973, 1999, 2008
Nottingham Forest	4	2	1978, 1979, 1989, 1990

Liverpool: First final ends in defeat

The Reds' first made it to the League Cup final in 1978 but lost to Nottingham Forest in a replay - when they were a thing - 1-0 after the first game at Wembley had ended goalless.

The all-conquering team of the early and mid-80s then embarked on a four-year run of winning the League Cup that remains a joint record (with Man City) to this day. A fearsome team containing the likes of Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush dominated the competition, winning it consecutively between 1981-84, beating West Ham, Tottenham, Man Utd and Everton in finals along the way.

Then, in 1987, a trip to 'Anfield South' ended in a rare defeat when Arsenal overcame the Merseysiders 2-1. The early 90s weren't a great period for the Reds generally and they had to wait until a Roy Evans-led team took them back to Wembley in 1995 to win the club's fifth League Cup. A Steve McManaman-inspired final ended 2-1 with Bolton Wanderers the gallant losers.

Liverpool: Two victories in Cardiff

It would be another six years until their next final appearance and this time - in Cardiff - it ended with victory, albeit on penalties, when Liverpool defeated plucky Birmingham City in 2001 for their first of three trophies that year under Gerard Houllier. The FA Cup and UEFA Cup would soon follow to seal the treble.

Two years later, goals from Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard helped the Reds see off old rivals Man Utd 2-0, again in Cardiff, as Houllier celebrated Liverpool's seventh success in the competition.

Liverpool: Chelsea win in 2005

The only previous meeting between these two in a League Cup final came 17 years ago when Jose Mourinho's Blues beat Rafa Benitez's Reds in the Welsh capital.

The two clubs became fierce domestic and European rivals during that period, meeting regularly in huge matches. And Chelsea came out on top on this occasion when they were unexpectedly handed a way back into a game they had been trailing to John Arne Riise's early opener when Gerrard scored an own goal to take it to extra-time.

The final came to life in the following 30 minutes with Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman making it 3-1 to the Blues before Antonio Nunez pulled one back for Liverpool. It ended 3-2 and Mourinho enjoyed goading the Liverpool fans on the touchline.

They would later get revenge, though, when the Reds memorably won the European Cup semi-final at Anfield a few months later.

Liverpool: Cardiff last victory in 2012

In 2012, Dalglish, in his second spell in charge, led an average team to League Cup glory when they beat Cardiff on penalties.

It remains the last time Liverpool won the competition, having been beaten by Manchester City in the 2016 final in what was Klopp's first season in charge.

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Chelsea: 1965 first success

Chelsea's first League Cup victory came before England had even won the World Cup.

They beat Leicester City 3-2 on aggregate in 1965 as, back then, the final was played over two legs at each club's home ground. The home clash at Stamford Bridge saw all the action when it finished 3-2, before the return tie at Filbert Street ended goalless.

Apart from a solitary appearance in the final in 1972, when they lost 2-1 to Stoke City at Wembley, Chelsea then had to wait until 1998 before they won the cup for the second time.

They saw off Middlesbrough 2-0 after extra-time when Frank Sinclair and Roberto Di Matteo - who would later go on to win the European Cup with the club as manager - both scored.

Chelsea: Back-to-back finals

It would be another seven years until their next appearance in that 2005 victory detailed above, before back-to-back showpieces against Arsenal and Tottenham came in 2007 and 2008 with mixed results.

The first ended in victory thanks to two Drogba goals cancelling out Theo Walcott's early strike, before the 2008 final went Spurs' way when they won 2-1 after extra-time.

Chelsea: Revenge over Spurs

In 2015, Chelsea gained revenge for that 2008 loss when they comfortably beat their London rivals 2-0 at Wembley with John Terry and Diego Costa on target.

That win seven years ago is the last time Chelsea hoisted the League Cup aloft, although they came close to winning it a sixth time when they were edged out on penalties by Man City in the final in 2019.