77 league cup final

Liverpool are the most successful club in the history of the League / EFL Cup

The English League Cup may not be everybody’s cup of choice. However, it still gives teams a chance to dream of glory and lifting silverware.

The importance of the trophy seems to have increased in recent years, with some of English football’s most high-profile clubs seemingly taking the competition far more seriously than in the past.

However, who has won the League Cup, currently known as the Carabao Cup, on the most occasions?

Liverpool (Ten-time winners of the competition)

Liverpool

The men from Merseyside have excelled in every competition they have participated in, and the League Cup is no different. They have lifted the trophy on ten occasions.

The Reds’ first success in the League Cup didn’t come until season 1980/81. However, the victory didn’t come easily, as they drew 1-1 with West Ham at Wembley in the final of the competition after extra time, only to win the replay 2-1 at Villa Park.

Liverpool have claimed the trophy as recently as season 2023/24. After a goalless 90 minutes against Chelsea, centre-back Virgil van Dijk headed home the 118th-minute winning goal in extra-time.

As well as winning the competition ten times, Liverpool has also finished as runners-up four times in the EFL Cup.

Manchester City (Eight-time winners of the competition)

Manchester City

Much of the Citizens success in the League Cup has come in recent decades. However, their maiden triumph in the competition came in season 1969/70, when they recorded a 2-1 extra-time final victory over West Brom at Wembley.

City won the League Cup again in 1976 but had to wait until 2014 for their next success in the competition to arrive. The floodgates then opened, and they lifted the trophy again in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

City have also been beaten finalists once in the competition, as they finished as runners-up in season 1973/74, losing 2-1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Wembley in the final.

Manchester United (Six-time winners of the competition)

Manchester United

The Red Devils may be the most successful club when it comes to winning the English top flight, but they are behind their two biggest local rivals when it comes to the League Cup.

United’s first-ever triumph in the competition came in 1992 when the team from Manchester recorded a 1-0 final win over Nottingham Forest at Wembley courtesy of a goal from Scottish midfielder Brian McClair.

Since then, they have won the competition in  2006, 2009, 2010, 2017 and 2023.

The Red Devils have also finished as League Cup runners-up on four occasions in seasons 1982/83, 1990/91, 1993/94 and 2002/03.

Chelsea (Five-time winners of the competition)

Chelsea

The Blues have a storied history in the League Cup, having won the competition on five occasions while finishing as runners-up the same number of times.

Their maiden League Cup victory came in season 1964/65 when the Blues recorded a 3-2 aggregate win over Leicester in a two-legged final. The team from south west London lifted the trophy again in 1998, 2005, 2007 and 2015.

They were also runners-up in seasons 1971/72, 2007/08, 2018/19, 2021/22 and 2023/24. The Blues lost both the 2022 and 2024 finals to Liverpool.

Aston Villa (Five-time winners of the competition)

Aston Villa

The Villans have won the EFL Cup five times, having also finished as runners-up on four occasions.

Villa first won the League Cup in season 1960/61, beating Rotherham 3-2 in extra-time on aggregate over two legs to claim the trophy. The Midlands outfit also won the competition in 1975, 1977, 1994 and 1996.

They have also reached the League Cup final in seasons 1962/63, 1970/71, 2009/10 and 2019/20.

Tottenham Hotspur (Four-time winners of the competition)

Tottenham Hotspur 720

The club from north London have lifted the League Cup trophy on four occasions while also being finalists five times.

Spurs first taste of EFL Cup glory came in season 1970/71, as they recorded a 2-0 final win over Aston Villa at Wembley, with club legend Martin Chivers scoring a brace. Spurs also lifted the trophy in 1973, 1999 and 2008.

They were also League Cup finalists in 1981/82, 2001/02, 2008/09, 2014/15 and 2020/21.

Nottingham Forest (Four-time winners of the competition)

Nottingham Forest

The Tricky Trees have won the League Cup on four occasions. Forest claimed their first League Cup victory in 1978. The final against Liverpool produced a goalless draw at Wembley. However, Brian Clough’s team recorded a 1-0 win in the replay.

Forest returned to retain the trophy the following season, this time beating Southampton 3-2 in the final of the competition.

The Midlands outfit’s other League Cup victories also came in back-to-back campaigns, as they lifted the trophy in seasons 1988/89 and 1989/90. The legendary Clough guided Forest to all four of their League Cup triumphs.

Forest was also runners-up in the competition on two occasions in seasons 1979/80 and 1991/92.

Leicester City (Three-time winners of the competition)

Leicester City

The Foxes are three-time winners of the League Cup, with their maiden EFL Cup coming back in season 1963/64. Leicester recorded a 4-3 aggregate win over Stoke City to lift the trophy for the first time.

The Midlands team had to wait 33 years for their next League Cup win. In the 1997 final, they eventually got the better of Middlesbrough. After a draw in the first game between the pair, the Foxes recorded a 1-0 win in the replay.

Their last League Cup victory came just a few seasons later, in 2000, when they recorded a 2-1 final win over Tranmere Rovers, with centre-back Matt Elliott scoring a brace.

Leicester also finished as League Cup runners-up on two occasions in the 1964/65 and 1998/99 seasons.

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