2008 Football League Cup Final

The 2008 Carling Cup Final was a football match played on 24 February 2008. [cite web |title=League Cup Fixtures |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/fixtures/default.stm |accessdate=2008-01-22 |publisher=BBC Sport ] It was the first League Cup Final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, and the first to be played in England since the old Wembley was demolished in 2000. The defending champions were Chelsea, who beat Arsenal in the 2007 Final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/6371613.stm |title=Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal |date=2007-02-25 |accessdate=2008-01-23 |publisher=BBC Sport ] The final was contested by Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Arsenal 6–2 on aggregate in the semi-final, [cite web |title=Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/7197913.stm |author=Sanghera, Mandeep |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2008-01-22 |accessdate=2008-01-23 ] and Chelsea, who beat Everton 3–1 on aggregate. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/7197922.stm |title=Everton 0-1 Chelsea |author=Chowdhury, Saj |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2008-01-23 |accessdate=2008-01-23 ] Tottenham Hotspur defeated Chelsea 2-1, after extra time, winning their first trophy for 9 years.

Chelsea took the lead in the 37th minute through a Didier Drogba free kick. A Wayne Bridge handball gave Tottenham a 68th-minute penalty, and Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov converted from the spot. Three minutes into extra time, Jonathan Woodgate headed a Jermaine Jenas free kick onto Petr Cech, who in turn pushed it straight back onto Woodgate's head to score the winning goal.

The win was an important one for Tottenham as they secured UEFA Cup qualification for the following season, something they would not have achieved in the Premier League, as they finished 11th. For Chelsea, it was the second of four competitions in which they would finish as runners-up that season, after they lost to Manchester United in the Community Shield and ended up finishing as runners-up to the same team in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

Match details

footballbox
date=2008-02-24
time=15:00
team1=Chelsea
score=1 – 2 (a.e.t.)
report= [http://www.carlingcup.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0,,11995~1249174,00.html (Report)]
team2=Tottenham Hotspur
goals2=Berbatov goal|70|pen.
Woodgate goal|94
goals1=Drogba goal|39
stadium=Wembley Stadium, London
attendance=87,660
referee=Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

ee also

*2007-08 in English football
*Football League Cup 2007-08

References