# 1996 Football League Cup final

The 1996 Football League Cup Final took place on 24 March 1996 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Aston Villa and Leeds United. This was the 36th final and the 30th to be played at Wembley. Aston Villa had won the trophy two years earlier, while Leeds' last victory was in their only final appearance in 1968.
In the first half the teams were separated by a goal from Savo Milošević. After half-time, Leeds United tired and Aston Villa took advantage to eventually win 3–0. Goals from Ian Taylor and Dwight Yorke completed the scoring. This was the beginning of the end for Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson, as he was heckled by the club's fans for his and the team's failure. However, it was Villa's fifth success in the competition, at the time equalling the record set by Liverpool.

## Road to Wembley

Aston Villa :
| Round 2 (1st leg) | Aston Villa | 6–0 | Peterborough United |
| Round 2 (2nd leg) | Peterborough United | 1–1 | Aston Villa |
| | (Aston Villa win 7–1 on aggregate) | (Aston Villa win 7–1 on aggregate) | (Aston Villa win 7–1 on aggregate) |
| Round 3 | Aston Villa | 2–0 | Stockport County |
| Round 4 | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers |
| Quarter-final | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Semi-final (1st leg) | Arsenal | 2–2 | Aston Villa |
| Semi-final (2nd leg) | Aston Villa | 0–0 | Arsenal |
| | (2–2 on aggregate. Aston Villa advance on Away Goals) | (2–2 on aggregate. Aston Villa advance on Away Goals) | (2–2 on aggregate. Aston Villa advance on Away Goals) |
Leeds United :
| Round 2 (1st leg) | Leeds United | 0–0 | Notts County |
| Round 2 (2nd leg) | Notts County | 2–3 | Leeds United |
| | (Leeds win 3–2 on aggregate) | (Leeds win 3–2 on aggregate) | (Leeds win 3–2 on aggregate) |
| Round 3 | Derby County | 0–1 | Leeds United |
| Round 4 | Leeds United | 2–1 | Blackburn Rovers |
| Quarter-final | Leeds United | 2–1 | Reading |
| Semi-final (1st leg) | Birmingham City | 1–2 | Leeds United |
| Semi-final (2nd leg) | Leeds United | 3–0 | Birmingham City |
| | (Leeds United win 5–1 on aggregate) | (Leeds United win 5–1 on aggregate) | (Leeds United win 5–1 on aggregate) |

## Match details

| Aston Villa | Leeds United |
| GK | 1 | Mark Bosnich |
| CB | 6 | Ugo Ehiogu |
| CB | 5 | Paul McGrath |
| CB | 4 | Gareth Southgate |
| RWB | 2 | Gary Charles |
| LWB | 3 | Alan Wright |
| CM | 7 | Ian Taylor |
| CM | 11 | Andy Townsend (c) |
| CM | 8 | Mark Draper |
| CF | 10 | Dwight Yorke |
| CF | 9 | Savo Milošević |
| Substitutes: ||
| GK | 13 | Michael Oakes |
| DF | 12 | Steve Staunton |
| FW | 14 | Tommy Johnson |
| Manager: ||
| Brian Little ||
| GK | 1 | John Lukic |
| CB | 5 | John Pemberton |
| CB | 6 | David Wetherall |
| CB | 3 | Lucas Radebe | 65' |
| RWB | 2 | Gary Kelly |
| LWB | 11 | Gary Speed |
| CM | 8 | Mark Ford | 46' |
| CM | 4 | Carlton Palmer |
| CM | 10 | Gary McAllister (c) |
| CF | 9 | Tony Yeboah |
| CF | 7 | Andy Gray |
| Substitutes: ||
| DF | 15 | Nigel Worthington |
| FW | 12 | Brian Deane | 46' |
| FW | 14 | Tomas Brolin | 65' |
| Manager: ||
| Howard Wilkinson ||
| Man of the match Andy Townsend (Aston Villa) Assistant referees Brian Coddington Martin Sims Fourth official Jim Rushton | Match rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary Penalty shoot-out if scores still level Three named substitutes, of which two may be used |