# 1987–88 Football League Cup

The 1987–88 Football League Cup (known as the Littlewoods Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 28th season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs.
The competition began on 17 August 1987, and ended with the final on 24 April 1988. The final was played between Luton Town and holders Arsenal. The match, played at Wembley Stadium in front of 95,732 spectators, was won by Luton Town by 3–2.

## First round
### First leg

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Blackpool | 2–0 | Chester City | 18 August 1987 |
| Bournemouth | 1–1 | Exeter City | 18 August 1987 |
| Brentford | 2–1 | Southend United | 18 August 1987 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | Hereford United | 19 August 1987 |
| Bury | 2–2 | Preston North End | 18 August 1987 |
| Cambridge United | 1–1 | Aldershot | 18 August 1987 |
| Cardiff City | 1–2 | Newport County | 18 August 1987 |
| Chesterfield | 2–1 | Peterborough United | 18 August 1987 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 3–3 | Shrewsbury Town | 25 August 1987 |
| Fulham | 3–1 | Colchester United | 18 August 1987 |
| Gillingham | 1–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 18 August 1987 |
| Grimsby Town | 3–2 | Darlington | 18 August 1987 |
| Halifax Town | 1–1 | York City | 18 August 1987 |
| Leyton Orient | 1–1 | Millwall | 18 August 1987 |
| Mansfield Town | 2–2 | Birmingham City | 18 August 1987 |
| Port Vale | 0–1 | Northampton Town | 17 August 1987 |
| Rochdale | 3–1 | Tranmere Rovers | 18 August 1987 |
| Rotherham United | 4–4 | Huddersfield Town | 18 August 1987 |
| Scarborough | 1–0 | Doncaster Rovers | 19 August 1987 |
| Scunthorpe United | 3–1 | Hartlepool United | 18 August 1987 |
| Stockport County | 0–1 | Carlisle United | 18 August 1987 |
| Sunderland | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | 18 August 1987 |
| Swindon Town | 3–0 | Bristol City | 18 August 1987 |
| Torquay United | 2–1 | Swansea City | 18 August 1987 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2–3 | Walsall | 19 August 1987 |
| Wigan Athletic | 2–3 | Bolton Wanderers | 18 August 1987 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3–0 | Notts County | 18 August 1987 |
| Wrexham | 1–0 | Burnley | 18 August 1987 |

### Second leg

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Agg. |
| Aldershot | 1–4 | Cambridge United | 25 August 1987 | 2–5 |
| Birmingham City | 0–1 | Mansfield Town | 25 August 1987 | 2–3 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 1–3 | Wigan Athletic | 25 August 1987 | 4–5 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–0 | Gillingham | 26 August 1987 | 1–1 |
| Bristol City | 3–2 | Swindon Town | 25 August 1987 | 3–5 |
| Burnley | 3–0 | Wrexham | 25 August 1987 | 3–1 |
| Cardiff City | 2–2 | Newport County | 25 August 1987 | 3–4 |
| Carlisle United | 3–0 | Stockport County | 25 August 1987 | 4–0 |
| Chester City | 1–0 | Blackpool | 26 August 1987 | 1–2 |
| Colchester United | 0–2 | Fulham | 25 August 1987 | 1–5 |
| Darlington | 2–1 | Grimsby Town | 26 August 1987 | 4–4 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 3–1 | Scarborough | 25 August 1987 | 3–2 |
| Exeter City | 1–3 | Bournemouth | 26 August 1987 | 2–4 |
| Hartlepool United | 0–1 | Scunthorpe United | 26 August 1987 | 1–4 |
| Hereford United | 2–0 | Bristol Rovers | 26 August 1987 | 2–1 |
| Huddersfield Town | 1–3 | Rotherham United | 25 August 1987 | 5–7 |
| Middlesbrough | 2–0 | Sunderland | 25 August 1987 | 2–1 |
| Millwall | 1–0 | Leyton Orient | 25 August 1987 | 2–1 |
| Northampton Town | 4–0 | Port Vale | 2 September 1987 | 5–0 |
| Notts County | 1–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 25 August 1987 | 1–5 |
| Peterborough United | 2–0 | Chesterfield | 26 August 1987 | 3–2 |
| Preston North End | 2–3 | Bury | 25 August 1987 | 4–5 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 4–1 | Crewe Alexandra | 8 September 1987 | 7–4 |
| Southend United | 4–2 | Brentford | 25 August 1987 | 5–4 |
| Swansea City | 1–1 | Torquay United | 25 August 1987 | 2–3 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1–0 | Rochdale | 25 August 1987 | 2–3 |
| Walsall | 0–0 | West Bromwich Albion | 25 August 1987 | 3–2 |
| York City | 1–0 | Halifax Town | 25 August 1987 | 2–1 |

## Second round
### First leg

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Barnsley | 0–0 | West Ham United | 22 September 1987 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | Liverpool | 23 September 1987 |
| Blackpool | 1–0 | Newcastle United | 23 September 1987 |
| Bournemouth | 1–0 | Southampton | 22 September 1987 |
| Burnley | 1–1 | Norwich City | 22 September 1987 |
| Bury | 2–1 | Sheffield United | 22 September 1987 |
| Cambridge United | 0–1 | Coventry City | 22 September 1987 |
| Carlisle United | 4–3 | Oldham Athletic | 22 September 1987 |
| Charlton Athletic | 3–0 | Walsall | 23 September 1987 |
| Crystal Palace | 4–0 | Newport County | 22 September 1987 |
| Darlington | 0–3 | Watford | 22 September 1987 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 0–3 | Arsenal | 23 September 1987 |
| Everton | 3–2 | Rotherham United | 22 September 1987 |
| Fulham | 1–5 | Bradford City | 22 September 1987 |
| Ipswich Town | 1–1 | Northampton Town | 22 September 1987 |
| Leeds United | 1–1 | York City | 23 September 1987 |
| Leicester City | 2–1 | Scunthorpe United | 23 September 1987 |
| Manchester City | 1–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 22 September 1987 |
| Manchester United | 5–0 | Hull City | 23 September 1987 |
| Middlesbrough | 0–1 | Aston Villa | 23 September 1987 |
| Nottingham Forest | 5–0 | Hereford United | 23 September 1987 |
| Oxford United | 1–1 | Mansfield Town | 23 September 1987 |
| Peterborough United | 4–1 | Plymouth Argyle | 23 September 1987 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | Millwall | 23 September 1987 |
| Reading | 3–1 | Chelsea | 23 September 1987 |
| Rochdale | 1–1 | Wimbledon | 22 September 1987 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 22 September 1987 |
| Southend United | 1–0 | Derby County | 22 September 1987 |
| Stoke City | 2–0 | Gillingham | 22 September 1987 |
| Swindon Town | 3–1 | Portsmouth | 22 September 1987 |
| Torquay United | 1–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 September 1987 |
| Wigan Athletic | 0–1 | Luton Town | 22 September 1987 |

### Second leg

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Agg. |
| Arsenal | 1–0 | Doncaster Rovers | 6 October 1987 | 4–0 |
| Aston Villa | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | 7 October 1987 | 2–0 |
| Bradford City | 2–1 | Fulham | 7 October 1987 | 7–2 |
| Chelsea | 3–2 | Reading | 7 October 1987 | 4–5 |
| Coventry City | 2–1 | Cambridge United | 6 October 1987 | 3–1 |
| Derby County | 0–0 | Southend United | 7 October 1987 | 0–1 |
| Gillingham | 0–1 | Stoke City | 6 October 1987 | 0–3 |
| Hereford United | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | 7 October 1987 | 1–6 |
| Hull City | 0–1 | Manchester United | 7 October 1987 | 0–6 |
| Liverpool | 1–0 | Blackburn Rovers | 6 October 1987 | 2–1 |
| Luton Town | 4–2 | Wigan Athletic | 6 October 1987 | 5–2 |
| Mansfield Town | 0–2 | Oxford United | 6 October 1987 | 1–3 |
| Millwall | 0–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 6 October 1987 | 1–2 |
| Newcastle United | 4–1 | Blackpool | 7 October 1987 | 4–2 |
| Newport County | 0–2 | Crystal Palace | 6 October 1987 | 0–6 |
| Northampton Town | 2–4 | Ipswich Town | 7 October 1987 | 3–5 |
| Norwich City | 1–0 | Burnley | 7 October 1987 | 2–1 |
| Oldham Athletic | 4–1 | Carlisle United | 6 October 1987 | 7–5 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 1–1 | Peterborough United | 6 October 1987 | 2–5 |
| Portsmouth | 1–3 | Swindon Town | 7 October 1987 | 2–6 |
| Rotherham United | 0–0 | Everton | 6 October 1987 | 2–3 |
| Scunthorpe United | 1–2 | Leicester City | 6 October 1987 | 2–4 |
| Sheffield United | 1–1 | Bury | 7 October 1987 | 2–3 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | Shrewsbury Town | 6 October 1987 | 3–2 |
| Southampton | 2–2 | Bournemouth | 6 October 1987 | 2–3 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3–0 | Torquay United | 7 October 1987 | 3–1 |
| Walsall | 2–0 | Charlton Athletic | 6 October 1987 | 2–3 |
| Watford | 8–0 | Darlington | 6 October 1987 | 11–0 |
| West Ham United | 2–5 | Barnsley | 6 October 1987 | 2–5 |
| Wimbledon | 2–1 | Rochdale | 6 October 1987 | 3–2 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–2 | Manchester City | 6 October 1987 | 2–3 |
| York City | 0–4 | Leeds United | 6 October 1987 | 1–5 |

## Third round

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Arsenal | 3–0 | Bournemouth | 27 October 1987 |
| Aston Villa | 2–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 October 1987 |
| Barnsley | 1–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 27 October 1987 |
| Bury | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 27 October 1987 |
| Charlton Athletic | 0–1 | Bradford City | 27 October 1987 |
| Ipswich Town | 1–0 | Southend United | 27 October 1987 |
| Leeds United | 2–2 | Oldham Athletic | 28 October 1987 |
| Liverpool | 0–1 | Everton | 28 October 1987 |
| Luton Town | 3–1 | Coventry City | 27 October 1987 |
| Manchester City | 3–0 | Nottingham Forest | 27 October 1987 |
| Manchester United | 2–1 | Crystal Palace | 28 October 1987 |
| Oxford United | 0–0 | Leicester City | 28 October 1987 |
| Peterborough United | 0–0 | Reading | 28 October 1987 |
| Stoke City | 2–1 | Norwich City | 27 October 1987 |
| Swindon Town | 1–1 | Watford | 28 October 1987 |
| Wimbledon | 2–1 | Newcastle United | 28 October 1987 |

### Replays

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Leicester City | 2–3 | Oxford United | 4 November 1987 |
| Oldham Athletic | 4–2 | Leeds United | 4 November 1987 |
| Reading | 1–0 | Peterborough United | 4 November 1987 |
| Watford | 4–2 | Swindon Town | 3 November 1987 |

## Fourth round

Bury v Manchester United was switched to Old Trafford.
| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Arsenal | 3–0 | Stoke City | 17 November 1987 |
| Aston Villa | 1–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 18 November 1987 |
| Bury | 1–2 | Manchester United | 18 November 1987 |
| Everton | 2–1 | Oldham Athletic | 17 November 1987 |
| Ipswich Town | 0–1 | Luton Town | 17 November 1987 |
| Manchester City | 3–1 | Watford | 17 November 1987 |
| Oxford United | 2–1 | Wimbledon | 18 November 1987 |
| Reading | 0–0 | Bradford City | 18 November 1987 |

### Replay

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Bradford City | 1–0 | Reading | 24 November 1987 |

## Fifth Round

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Luton Town | 2–0 | Bradford City | 19 January 1988 |
| Everton | 2–0 | Manchester City | 20 January 1988 |
| Oxford United | 2–0 | Manchester United | 20 January 1988 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 0–1 | Arsenal | 20 January 1988 |

## Semi-finals

Defending league champions Everton, still yet to win the League Cup, had their dreams of winning the trophy ended when they were well beaten over the two legs of the semi-final by holders Arsenal. In the other semi-final, 1986 winners Oxford United were ousted by Luton Town.

### First leg

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| Everton | 0–1 | Arsenal | 7 February 1988 |
| Oxford United | 1–1 | Luton Town | 10 February 1988 |

### Second leg

| Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Agg |
| Arsenal | 3–1 | Everton | 24 February 1988 | 4–1 |
| Luton Town | 2–0 | Oxford United | 28 February 1988 | 3–1 |