Although the League Cup is one of the four domestic trophies attainable by English league teams, it is of far lower prestige than the league championship or the FA Cup.

Some clubs have repeatedly fielded a weaker side in the competition, making the opportunity for giant-killing of the larger clubs more likely.

Many teams in the Premier League , Arsenal and Manchester United in particular, have used the competition to give young players valuable big-game experience.

After a period of decline when the competition's future was regularly questioned, recent years have seen a revival in respect for the trophy, as the larger Premier League clubs have come to dominate the competition again, and the development nature of the competition has begun to be viewed as a positive for the clubs involved.

Premier League giants Manchester City 5 , Manchester United 4 , Liverpool 3 and Chelsea 3 between them won 15 editions of the competition between and The original idea for a League Cup came from Stanley Rous who saw the competition as a consolation for clubs who had already been knocked out of the FA Cup.

However, it was not Rous who came to implement it, but Football League Secretary Alan Hardaker. Hardaker initially proposed the competition as a way for the clubs to make up on lost revenue, due to a reduction in matches played, for when the league was to be re-organised.

The re-organisation of the league was not immediately forthcoming; however, the cup competition was introduced regardless. The trophy was paid for personally by Football League President Joe Richards, who was proud of the competition and he had his own name engraved on it.

Richards described the competition's formation as an "interim step" on the way to the league's re-organisation.

Hardaker felt that the Football League needed to adapt to the times, as the English game was losing prestige. He felt that the Football League should take the lead in revitalising football in the nation: "It must be obvious to all of you that the time has come to do something, and it is up to the Football League to give the lead.

I hope the Press will not immediately assume that the League is going to fall out with the F. The League Cup competition was established at a time when match day attendances were dwindling.

The league had lost one million spectators compared to the previous season. It was established at a time when tensions between the Football League and the Football Association were high.

The biggest disagreement was about how revenue was shared between the clubs. During the late s, the majority of senior English clubs equipped their grounds with floodlights.

This opened up the opportunity to exploit weekday evenings throughout the winter. The League Cup was introduced in the —61 season specifically as a mid-week floodlit tournament, to replace the Southern Professional Floodlit Cup.

The League Cup was criticised by the better-endowed clubs. The Times ' correspondent at the time felt that the League Cup was a step in the wrong direction; the European Cup had been formed five years prior to the League Cup and the correspondent felt the League Cup's introduction was adding to existing problems.

The Times published on 30 May "Where a drastic reduction is required in an attempt to raise quality, no doubt quantity and a further spread of mediocrity will be the dose.

Where men like Count Bernabeu with his wider horizons, think in terms of a European League for the future in which a lead could surely now be given jointly by our leaders, the Football League propose next season to implement their useless Football League Cup to be played in midweek.

It gets the players, the clubs and the public nowhere. Aston Villa were the inaugural winners in —61 , defeating Rotherham United 3—2 in the final over two legs.

Football in England was considered to be of a low quality, compared to what was being played on the continent, as relatively unfashionable clubs Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers were England's representatives in Europe that year, having lifted the major honours ahead of much bigger clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United.

Richards referred to the appetite for European football as 'continental fever'. He was keen for the league to re-establish itself: 'We must be prepared to put the interests of the League and the game before individual clubs.

Richards is reputed to have told Hardaker that he foresaw 'the League Cup final being held at Wembley, but that it wouldn't be during his lifetime'. The first League Cup final to be held at Wembley was Third Division Queens Park Rangers's win over First Division West Bromwich Albion on 4 March Richards died in The first League Cup was won in —61 by Aston Villa who, at the time, held the overall record for major trophies won in England.

One of them, Norwich City , had yet to even play in the First Division, while their opponents Rochdale had played no higher than the Third Division.

The introduction of the League Cup gave the Football League more negotiating power with the FA and UEFA. Hardaker threatened UEFA with a boycott of the UEFA Cup , unless UEFA gave the League Cup winner European qualification.

As a result of the negotiating tactics, UEFA provided the League Cup winner with a place in the European competitions, providing the team was in the first division.

Tottenham Hotspur were the first team to qualify for Europe by virtue of winning the competition. Millwall 3 Cheltenham Town 1.

Everton 3 Salford City 0. Fleetwood Town 2 Port Vale 1. Leeds United 1 Hull City 1. West Ham United 3 Charlton Athleti..

Derby County 1 Preston North En.. Reading 0 Luton Town 1. Burton Albion 1 Aston Villa 3. Ipswich Town 0 Fulham 1.

Rochdale 0 Sheffield Wednes.. Southampton 0 Brentford 2. West Bromwich Al.. Bristol City 4 Northampton Town 0. Newport County 3 Watford 1.

Chelsea 6 Barnsley 0. Leyton Orient Tottenham Hotspu.. Morecambe 0 Newcastle United 7. Manchester City 2 AFC Bournemouth 1. Millwall 0 Burnley 2.

Fleetwood Town 2 Everton 5. West Ham United 5 Hull City 1. Luton Town 0 Manchester Unite.. Fulham 2 Sheffield Wednes.. Bristol City 0 Aston Villa 3.

Stoke City 1 Gillingham 0. Lincoln City 2 Liverpool 7. Leicester City 0 Arsenal 2. Tottenham Hotspu.. Newport County 1 Newcastle United 1.

Burnley 0 Manchester City 3. Everton 4 West Ham United 1. Brentford 3 Fulham 0. Aston Villa 0 Stoke City 1. Liverpool 0 Arsenal 0. Brentford 1 Newcastle United 0.

Stoke City 1 Tottenham Hotspu.. Everton 0 Manchester Unite.. Arsenal 1 Manchester City 4. Manchester Unite.. Manchester City. Player Goals Matches AVG goals Penalties Team Tristan Abrahams 4 1 4.

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Soccer Livescore Results Fixtures Standings. Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Ross Joyce.

Blackburn Rovers 2. Doncaster Rovers 3. Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Anthony Backhouse. Stoke City 2.

Blackpool 3. Stadium: bet Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: James Adcock. McClean Campbell Clucas Thompson Fletcher Martins Indi Oakley-Boothe.

Stevenage 4. Portsmouth 3. Stadium: Broadhall Way Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Sam Purkiss. Middlesbrough 2. Shrewsbury Town 3.

Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Michael Salisbury. Burton Albion 3. Accrington Stanley 3.

Burton upon Trent. Stadium: Pirelli Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Andy Haines. Derby County 2. Barrow 4. Stadium: Pride Park Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Oliver Yates.

Evans Marriott Bird Shinnie Whittaker. Plymouth Argyle 3. Queens Park Rangers 2. Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Anthony Coggins.

Crawley Town 4. Millwall 2. Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: David Rock. Gillingham 3. Southend United 4.

Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Chris Pollard. Bristol City 2. Exeter City 4. Stadium: Ashton Gate Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Chris Sarginson.

Walsall 4. Sheffield Wednesday 2. Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Peter Wright. Holden Gordon Adebayo Bates. Tranmere Rovers 4. Harrogate Town 4.

Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Tom Nield. Crewe Alexandra 3. Lincoln City 3. Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Scott Oldham.

Huddersfield Town 2. Rochdale 3. Huddersfield [b]. Stadium: Kirklees Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Ben Toner. Bolton Wanderers 4. Bradford City 4.

Stadium: University of Bolton Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Martin Coy. Fleetwood Town 3. Wigan Athletic 3.

Stadium: Highbury Stadium Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Seb Stockbridge. Grimsby Town 4. Morecambe 4. Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Graham Salisbury.

Scunthorpe United 4. Port Vale 4. Stadium: Glanford Park Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Neil Hair. Sunderland 3. Hull City 3.

Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 0 [a] Referee: Thomas Bramall.