# 1981–82 Football League Cup

The 1981–82 Football League Cup (known as the Milk Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs. The competition started on 31 August 1981 and ended with the final on 13 March 1982.
The final was contested by First Division teams Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium in London.

## First round
### First leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Aldershot | 0–0 | Wimbledon | 1 September 1981 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | Oldham Athletic | 1 September 1981 |
| Bournemouth | 0–1 | Fulham | 1 September 1981 |
| Bradford City | 3–1 | Blackpool | 2 September 1981 |
| Bristol City | 2–0 | Walsall | 1 September 1981 |
| Bury | 3–3 | Carlisle United | 1 September 1981 |
| Cardiff City | 2–1 | Exeter City | 2 September 1981 |
| Chester | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle | 8 September 1981 |
| Colchester United | 2–0 | Gillingham | 1 September 1981 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1–1 | Bristol Rovers | 2 September 1981 |
| Darlington | 1–3 | Rotherham United | 1 September 1981 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 0–0 | Chesterfield | 1 September 1981 |
| Halifax Town | 1–2 | Preston North End | 1 September 1981 |
| Hereford United | 1–1 | Port Vale | 2 September 1981 |
| Huddersfield Town | 3–1 | Rochdale | 1 September 1981 |
| Leyton Orient | 1–1 | Millwall | 1 September 1981 |
| Lincoln City | 3–0 | Hull City | 2 September 1981 |
| Northampton Town | 2–0 | Hartlepool United | 1 September 1981 |
| Oxford United | 1–0 | Brentford | 2 September 1981 |
| Peterborough United | 2–3 | Barnsley | 2 September 1981 |
| Reading | 2–2 | Charlton Athletic | 2 September 1981 |
| Scunthorpe United | 0–0 | Mansfield Town | 1 September 1981 |
| Sheffield United | 1–0 | York City | 1 September 1981 |
| Southend United | 0–0 | Portsmouth | 2 September 1981 |
| Torquay United | 2–3 | Newport County | 2 September 1981 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 4–2 | Burnley | 1 September 1981 |
| Wigan Athletic | 3–0 | Stockport County | 31 August 1981 |
| Wrexham | 3–2 | Swindon Town | 1 September 1981 |

### Second leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date | Agg |
| Barnsley | 6–0 | Peterborough United | 15 September 1981 | 9–2 |
| Blackpool | 0–0 | Bradford City | 16 September 1981 | 1–3 |
| Brentford | 0–2 | Oxford United | 15 September 1981 | 0–3 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | Crewe Alexandra | 15 September 1981 | 2–1 |
| Burnley | 3–3 | Tranmere Rovers | 15 September 1981 | 5–7 |
| Carlisle United | 2–1 | Bury | 15 September 1981 | 5–4 |
| Charlton Athletic | 3–1 | Reading | 15 September 1981 | 5–3 |
| Chesterfield | 1–1 | Doncaster Rovers | 15 September 1981 | 1–1 |
| Exeter City | 3–1 | Cardiff City | 16 September 1981 | 4–3 |
| Fulham | 2–0 | Bournemouth | 15 September 1981 | 3–0 |
| Gillingham | 1–1 | Colchester United | 15 September 1981 | 1–3 |
| Hartlepool United | 2–1 | Northampton Town | 16 September 1981 | 2–3 |
| Hull City | 1–1 | Lincoln City | 15 September 1981 | 1–4 |
| Mansfield Town | 2–0 | Scunthorpe United | 14 September 1981 | 2–0 |
| Millwall | 3–2 | Leyton Orient | 16 September 1981 | 4–3 |
| Newport County | 0–0 | Torquay United | 15 September 1981 | 3–2 |
| Oldham Athletic | 4–2 | Bolton Wanderers | 15 September 1981 | 5–4 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 1–0 | Chester | 15 September 1981 | 2–1 |
| Port Vale | 2–0 | Hereford United | 14 September 1981 | 3–1 |
| Portsmouth | 4–1 | Southend United | 16 September 1981 | 4–1 |
| Preston North End | 0–0 | Halifax Town | 15 September 1981 | 2–1 |
| Rochdale | 2–4 | Huddersfield Town | 15 September 1981 | 3–7 |
| Rotherham United | 2–1 | Darlington | 15 September 1981 | 5–2 |
| Stockport County | 1–2 | Wigan Athletic | 14 September 1981 | 1–5 |
| Swindon Town | 0–2 | Wrexham | 15 September 1981 | 2–5 |
| Walsall | 1–0 | Bristol City | 15 September 1981 | 1–2 |
| Wimbledon | 1–3 | Aldershot | 15 September 1981 | 1–3 |
| York City | 1–1 | Sheffield United | 15 September 1981 | 1–2 |

## Second round
### First leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Aldershot | 2–2 | Wigan Athletic | 6 October 1981 |
| Aston Villa | 3–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 7 October 1981 |
| Barnsley | 2–0 | Swansea City | 6 October 1981 |
| Birmingham City | 2–3 | Nottingham Forest | 6 October 1981 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 7 October 1981 |
| Bradford City | 3–4 | Mansfield Town | 7 October 1981 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–2 | Northampton Town | 6 October 1981 |
| Carlisle United | 0–0 | Bristol City | 6 October 1981 |
| Colchester United | 3–1 | Cambridge United | 6 October 1981 |
| Derby County | 2–3 | West Ham United | 7 October 1981 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1–0 | Crystal Palace | 6 October 1981 |
| Everton | 1–1 | Coventry City | 6 October 1981 |
| Grimsby Town | 1–0 | Watford | 6 October 1981 |
| Huddersfield Town | 1–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 October 1981 |
| Leeds United | 0–1 | Ipswich Town | 7 October 1981 |
| Lincoln City | 1–1 | Notts County | 7 October 1981 |
| Liverpool | 5–0 | Exeter City | 7 October 1981 |
| Luton Town | 0–2 | Wrexham | 6 October 1981 |
| Manchester City | 2–0 | Stoke City | 7 October 1981 |
| Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Plymouth Argyle | 6 October 1981 |
| Millwall | 3–3 | Oxford United | 6 October 1981 |
| Newcastle United | 1–2 | Fulham | 7 October 1981 |
| Norwich City | 1–0 | Charlton Athletic | 7 October 1981 |
| Oldham Athletic | 1–0 | Newport County | 6 October 1981 |
| Preston North End | 1–0 | Leicester City | 6 October 1981 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 5–0 | Portsmouth | 6 October 1981 |
| Sheffield United | 1–0 | Arsenal | 6 October 1981 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 3–3 | West Bromwich Albion | 6 October 1981 |
| Southampton | 1–1 | Chelsea | 6 October 1981 |
| Sunderland | 2–0 | Rotherham United | 7 October 1981 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | Manchester United | 7 October 1981 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 2–0 | Port Vale | 5 October 1981 |

### Second leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date | Agg |
| Arsenal | 2–0 | Sheffield United | 27 October 1981 | 2–1 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2–0 | Huddersfield Town | 27 October 1981 | 2–1 |
| Bristol City | 2–1 | Carlisle United | 27 October 1981 | 2–1 |
| Cambridge United | 3–2 | Colchester United | 27 October 1981 | 4–5 |
| Charlton Athletic | 0–1 | Norwich City | 28 October 1981 | 0–2 |
| Chelsea | 2–1 | Southampton | 28 October 1981 | 3–2 |
| Coventry City | 0–1 | Everton | 27 October 1981 | 1–2 |
| Crystal Palace | 2–0 | Doncaster Rovers | 27 October 1981 | 2–1 |
| Exeter City | 0–6 | Liverpool | 28 October 1981 | 0–11 |
| Fulham | 2–0 | Newcastle United | 27 October 1981 | 4–1 |
| Ipswich Town | 3–0 | Leeds United | 27 October 1981 | 4–0 |
| Leicester City | 4–0 | Preston North End | 28 October 1981 | 4–1 |
| Manchester United | 0–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 October 1981 | 0–2 |
| Mansfield Town | 0–2 | Bradford City | 26 October 1981 | 4–5 |
| Newport County | 0–0 | Oldham Athletic | 27 October 1981 | 0–1 |
| Northampton Town | 3–1 | Bristol Rovers | 27 October 1981 | 5–2 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Birmingham City | 28 October 1981 | 5–3 |
| Notts County | 2–3 | Lincoln City | 27 October 1981 | 3–4 |
| Oxford United | 1–0 | Millwall | 28 October 1981 | 4–3 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 0–0 | Middlesbrough | 27 October 1981 | 1–2 |
| Port Vale | 1–2 | Tranmere Rovers | 28 October 1981 | 1–4 |
| Portsmouth | 2–2 | Queens Park Rangers | 27 October 1981 | 2–7 |
| Rotherham United | 3–3 | Sunderland | 27 October 1981 | 3–5 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 1–2 | Blackburn Rovers | 27 October 1981 | 2–3 |
| Stoke City | 2–0 | Manchester City | 28 October 1981 | 2–2 |
| Swansea City | 3–2 | Barnsley | 27 October 1981 | 3–4 |
| Watford | 3–1 | Grimsby Town | 27 October 1981 | 3–2 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2–1 | Shrewsbury Town | 28 October 1981 | 5–4 |
| West Ham United | 2–0 | Derby County | 27 October 1981 | 5–2 |
| Wigan Athletic | 1–0 | Aldershot | 27 October 1981 | 3–2 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–2 | Aston Villa | 27 October 1981 | 3–5 |
| Wrexham | 0–1 | Luton Town | 27 October 1981 | 2–1 |

## Third round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Arsenal | 1–0 | Norwich City | 10 November 1981 |
| Barnsley | 4–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 10 November 1981 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | 11 November 1981 |
| Everton | 1–0 | Oxford United | 11 November 1981 |
| Ipswich Town | 1–1 | Bradford City | 10 November 1981 |
| Leicester City | 0–0 | Aston Villa | 11 November 1981 |
| Liverpool | 4–1 | Middlesbrough | 10 November 1981 |
| Manchester City | 3–1 | Northampton Town | 11 November 1981 |
| Oldham Athletic | 1–1 | Fulham | 10 November 1981 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 3–0 | Bristol City | 10 November 1981 |
| Sunderland | 0–1 | Crystal Palace | 11 November 1981 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 | Wrexham | 11 November 1981 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1–0 | Colchester United | 10 November 1981 |
| Watford | 2–2 | Lincoln City | 10 November 1981 |
| West Ham United | 2–2 | West Bromwich Albion | 10 November 1981 |
| Wigan Athletic | 4–2 | Chelsea | 11 November 1981 |

### Replays

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Aston Villa | 2–0 | Leicester City | 25 November 1981 |
| Bradford City | 2–3 | Ipswich Town | 2 December 1981 |
| Fulham | 3–0 | Oldham Athletic | 17 November 1981 |
| Lincoln City | 2–3 | Watford | 25 November 1981 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1–1 | West Ham United | 24 November 1981 |

### 2nd Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| West Ham United | 0–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 December 1981 |

## Fourth round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Arsenal | 0–0 | Liverpool | 1 December 1981 |
| Barnsley | 1–0 | Manchester City | 2 December 1981 |
| Crystal Palace | 1–3 | West Bromwich Albion | 15 December 1981 |
| Everton | 2–3 | Ipswich Town | 15 December 1981 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Tranmere Rovers | 2 December 1981 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | Fulham | 2 December 1981 |
| Watford | 4–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 1 December 1981 |
| Wigan Athletic | 1–2 | Aston Villa | 1 December 1981 |

### Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Liverpool | 3–0 | Arsenal | 8 December 1981 |

## Fifth Round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Aston Villa | 0–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 19 January 1982 |
| Ipswich Town | 2–1 | Watford | 18 January 1982 |
| Liverpool | 0–0 | Barnsley | 12 January 1982 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | 18 January 1982 |

### Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Barnsley | 1–3 | Liverpool | 19 January 1982 |

## Semi-finals

Holders Liverpool defeated Ipswich Town – who were also competing with them for the league title – over the two legs to reach the final. Fellow title contenders Tottenham Hotspur won the other semi-final against relegation threatened West Bromwich Albion.

### First leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Ipswich Town | 0–2 | Liverpool | 2 February 1982 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 0–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 February 1982 |

### Second leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date | Agg |
| Liverpool | 2–2 | Ipswich Town | 9 February 1982 | 4–2 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | West Bromwich Albion | 10 February 1982 | 1–0 |