# 1977–78 Football League Cup

The 1977–78 Football League Cup was the 18th season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs. The competition started on 13 August 1977 and ended with the final going to a replay on 22 March 1978.
The final was contested by First Division teams Nottingham Forest and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium in London, followed by a replay at Old Trafford.

## First round
### First leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Aldershot | 1–1 | Colchester United | 13 August 1977 |
| Brentford | 2–1 | Crystal Palace | 13 August 1977 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–2 | Walsall | 13 August 1977 |
| Burnley | 2–0 | Chester | 13 August 1977 |
| Bury | 3–0 | Crewe Alexandra | 13 August 1977 |
| Cambridge United | 0–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 13 August 1977 |
| Chesterfield | 4–1 | Barnsley | 13 August 1977 |
| Darlington | 0–0 | Scunthorpe United | 13 August 1977 |
| Exeter City | 2–2 | Plymouth Argyle | 13 August 1977 |
| Fulham | 0–2 | Leyton Orient | 13 August 1977 |
| Gillingham | 1–1 | Wimbledon | 13 August 1977 |
| Grimsby Town | 3–0 | Hartlepool United | 13 August 1977 |
| Hereford United | 2–0 | Bournemouth | 13 August 1977 |
| Huddersfield Town | 1–1 | Carlisle United | 13 August 1977 |
| Mansfield Town | 0–1 | Lincoln City | 13 August 1977 |
| Oxford United | 3–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 13 August 1977 |
| Peterborough United | 4–1 | Bradford City | 13 August 1977 |
| Port Vale | 2–1 | Preston North End | 13 August 1977 |
| Portsmouth | 3–1 | Newport County | 13 August 1977 |
| Rochdale | 1–1 | Halifax Town | 13 August 1977 |
| Rotherham United | 3–0 | York City | 13 August 1977 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 5–2 | Doncaster Rovers | 13 August 1977 |
| Southend United | 2–3 | Northampton Town | 13 August 1977 |
| Swansea City | 1–3 | Swindon Town | 13 August 1977 |
| Torquay United | 1–0 | Cardiff City | 13 August 1977 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 0–1 | Southport | 13 August 1977 |
| Watford | 2–1 | Reading | 13 August 1977 |
| Wrexham | 1–0 | Stockport County | 13 August 1977 |

### Second leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date | Agg |
| Barnsley | 3–0 | Chesterfield | 16 August 1977 | 4–4 |
| Bournemouth | 4–2 | Hereford United | 16 August 1977 | 4–4 |
| Bradford City | 1–1 | Peterborough United | 17 August 1977 | 2–5 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–0 | Cambridge United | 16 August 1977 | 0–0 |
| Cardiff City | 3–2 | Torquay United | 17 August 1977 | 3–3 |
| Carlisle United | 2–2 | Huddersfield Town | 16 August 1977 | 3–3 |
| Chester | 1–0 | Burnley | 17 August 1977 | 1–2 |
| Colchester United | 4–1 | Aldershot | 16 August 1977 | 5–2 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1–1 | Bury | 17 August 1977 | 1–4 |
| Crystal Palace | 5–1 | Brentford | 16 August 1977 | 6–3 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 0–3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 16 August 1977 | 2–8 |
| Halifax Town | 1–2 | Rochdale | 16 August 1977 | 2–3 |
| Hartlepool United | 1–2 | Grimsby Town | 16 August 1977 | 1–5 |
| Leyton Orient | 1–2 | Fulham | 16 August 1977 | 3–2 |
| Lincoln City | 0–0 | Mansfield Town | 17 August 1977 | 1–0 |
| Newport County | 3–2 | Portsmouth | 16 August 1977 | 4–5 |
| Northampton Town | 2–1 | Southend United | 16 August 1977 | 5–3 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 0–0 | Exeter City | 16 August 1977 | 2–2 |
| Preston North End | 2–1 | Port Vale | 17 August 1977 | 3–3 |
| Reading | 1–0 | Watford | 17 August 1977 | 2–2 |
| Scunthorpe United | 3–1 | Darlington | 16 August 1977 | 3–1 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2–2 | Oxford United | 16 August 1977 | 2–5 |
| Southport | 2–2 | Tranmere Rovers | 16 August 1977 | 3–2 |
| Stockport County | 1–1 | Wrexham | 17 August 1977 | 1–2 |
| Swindon Town | 2–1 | Swansea City | 16 August 1977 | 5–2 |
| Walsall | 1–0 | Bristol Rovers | 16 August 1977 | 3–1 |
| Wimbledon | 3–1 | Gillingham | 16 August 1977 | 4–2 |
| York City | 3–0 | Rotherham United | 16 August 1977 | 3–3 |

### Replays

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Barnsley | 0–2 | Chesterfield | 23 August 1977 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 3–1 | Cambridge United | 23 August 1977 |
| Cardiff City | 2–1 | Torquay United | 24 August 1977 |
| Hereford United | 1–2 | Bournemouth | 23 August 1977 |
| Huddersfield Town | 2–1 | Carlisle United | 23 August 1977 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | Exeter City | 23 August 1977 |
| Port Vale | 1–2 | Preston North End | 23 August 1977 |
| Watford | 5–0 | Reading | 23 August 1977 |
| York City | 1–1 | Rotherham United | 23 August 1977 |

## Second round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Arsenal | 3–2 | Manchester United | 30 August 1977 |
| Birmingham City | 0–2 | Notts County | 30 August 1977 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | Colchester United | 31 August 1977 |
| Blackpool | 2–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 30 August 1977 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 1–0 | Lincoln City | 30 August 1977 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–0 | Oldham Athletic | 30 August 1977 |
| Bristol City | 1–0 | Stoke City | 29 August 1977 |
| Burnley | 3–1 | Norwich City | 30 August 1977 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1–2 | Wrexham | 30 August 1977 |
| Chesterfield | 0–1 | Manchester City | 31 August 1977 |
| Crystal Palace | 0–0 | Southampton | 30 August 1977 |
| Derby County | 3–1 | Leyton Orient | 31 August 1977 |
| Exeter City | 1–3 | Aston Villa | 31 August 1977 |
| Grimsby Town | 1–2 | Watford | 30 August 1977 |
| Huddersfield Town | 0–2 | Coventry City | 30 August 1977 |
| Ipswich Town | 5–0 | Northampton Town | 30 August 1977 |
| Liverpool | 2–0 | Chelsea | 30 August 1977 |
| Newcastle United | 0–2 | Millwall | 31 August 1977 |
| Nottingham Forest | 5–0 | West Ham United | 30 August 1977 |
| Oxford United | 1–1 | Bury | 31 August 1977 |
| Peterborough United | 1–1 | Scunthorpe United | 30 August 1977 |
| Portsmouth | 2–0 | Leicester City | 30 August 1977 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 2–0 | Bournemouth | 31 August 1977 |
| Rochdale | 0–3 | Leeds United | 31 August 1977 |
| Sheffield United | 0–3 | Everton | 30 August 1977 |
| Southport | 2–2 | Hull City | 31 August 1977 |
| Sunderland | 2–2 | Middlesbrough | 30 August 1977 |
| Swindon Town | 5–1 | Cardiff City | 30 August 1977 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 4–0 | Wimbledon | 30 August 1977 |
| Walsall | 0–0 | Preston North End | 31 August 1977 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 4–0 | Rotherham United | 31 August 1977 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–3 | Luton Town | 30 August 1977 |

### Replays

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Bury | 1–0 | Oxford United | 5 September 1977 |
| Colchester United | 4–0 | Blackburn Rovers | 7 September 1977 |
| Hull City | 1–0 | Southport | 14 September 1977 |
| Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Sunderland | 13 September 1977 |
| Oldham Athletic | 2–2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 13 September 1977 |
| Preston North End | 0–1 | Walsall | 6 September 1977 |
| Scunthorpe United | 0–1 | Peterborough United | 6 September 1977 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 3–1 | Blackpool | 5 September 1977 |
| Southampton | 2–1 | Crystal Palace | 13 September 1977 |

### 2nd Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–2 | Oldham Athletic | 27 September 1977 |

## Last 32
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Arsenal | 2–0 | Southampton | 25 October 1977 |
| Aston Villa | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 26 October 1977 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 3–1 | Peterborough United | 25 October 1977 |
| Burnley | 1–2 | Ipswich Town | 25 October 1977 |
| Everton | 2–2 | Middlesbrough | 25 October 1977 |
| Hull City | 2–0 | Oldham Athletic | 25 October 1977 |
| Leeds United | 4–0 | Colchester United | 26 October 1977 |
| Liverpool | 2–0 | Derby County | 26 October 1977 |
| Luton Town | 1–1 | Manchester City | 25 October 1977 |
| Millwall | 1–1 | Bury | 25 October 1977 |
| Nottingham Forest | 4–0 | Notts County | 25 October 1977 |
| Portsmouth | 1–1 | Swindon Town | 25 October 1977 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | Walsall | 25 October 1977 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–3 | Coventry City | 26 October 1977 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1–0 | Watford | 25 October 1977 |
| Wrexham | 1–0 | Bristol City | 26 October 1977 |

### Replays

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Bury | 2–0 | Millwall | 1 November 1977 |
| Manchester City | 0–0 | Luton Town | 1 November 1977 |
| Middlesbrough | 1–2 | Everton | 31 October 1977 |
| Swindon Town | 4–3 | Portsmouth | 1 November 1977 |

### 2nd Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Luton Town | 2–3 | Manchester City | 9 November 1977 |

## Last 16
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Arsenal | 5–1 | Hull City | 29 November 1977 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 1–3 | Leeds United | 30 November 1977 |
| Bury | 1–0 | West Bromwich Albion | 29 November 1977 |
| Ipswich Town | 1–2 | Manchester City | 29 November 1977 |
| Liverpool | 2–2 | Coventry City | 29 November 1977 |
| Nottingham Forest | 4–2 | Aston Villa | 29 November 1977 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 1–3 | Everton | 29 November 1977 |
| Wrexham | 2–0 | Swindon Town | 7 December 1977 |

### Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Coventry City | 0–2 | Liverpool | 20 December 1977 |

## Quarter-Finals
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Bury | 0–3 | Nottingham Forest | 17 January 1978 |
| Leeds United | 4–1 | Everton | 18 January 1978 |
| Manchester City | 0–0 | Arsenal | 18 January 1978 |
| Wrexham | 1–3 | Liverpool | 17 January 1978 |

### Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Arsenal | 1–0 | Manchester City | 24 January 1978 |

## Semi-finals
### First leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Leeds United | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | 8 February 1978 |
| Liverpool | 2–1 | Arsenal | 7 February 1978 |

### Second leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date | Agg |
| Arsenal | 0–0 | Liverpool | 14 February 1978 | 1–2 |
| Nottingham Forest | 4–2 | Leeds United | 22 February 1978 | 7–3 |

## Final
### Match Details

| Nottingham Forest | Liverpool |
| Nottingham Forest Red shirts/White shorts/Red socks | 0 — 0 (final score after extra time) | Liverpool White shirts/Black shorts/White socks |
| Manager: Brian Clough Team: 1 Chris Woods (GK) 2 Viv Anderson 3 Frank Clark 4 John McGovern (c) 5 Larry Lloyd 6 Kenny Burns 7 Martin O'Neill 8 Ian Bowyer 9 Peter Withe 10 Tony Woodcock 11 John Robertson Substitute: 12 John O'Hare Scorers: None | Half-time: 0–0 Competition: Football League Cup (Final) Date: 15.00 GMT Saturday 18 March 1978 Venue: Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 100,000 Referee: Pat Partridge Match rules: 90 minutes. 30 minutes extra-time if necessary. Match replayed if scores still level. One named substitute. | Manager: Bob Paisley Team: 1 Ray Clemence (GK) 2 Phil Neal 3 Tommy Smith 4 Phil Thompson 5 Ray Kennedy 91' 6 Emlyn Hughes (c) 7 Kenny Dalglish 8 Jimmy Case 9 Steve Heighway 10 Terry McDermott 11 Ian Callaghan Substitute: 12 David Fairclough 91' Scorers: None |

### Replay

| Nottingham Forest | Liverpool |
| Nottingham Forest Yellow/Yellow shorts/Yellow socks | 1 — 0 (final score after 90 minutes) | Liverpool Red shirts/Red shorts/Red socks |
| Manager: Brian Clough Team: 1 Chris Woods (GK) 2 Viv Anderson 3 Frank Clark 4 John O'Hare 5 Larry Lloyd 6 Kenny Burns (c) 7 Martin O'Neill 8 Ian Bowyer 9 Peter Withe 10 Tony Woodcock 11 John Robertson Substitute 12Steve Elliot Scorers: John Robertson 54' (penalty) | Half-time: 0–0 Competition: Football League Cup (Final) Date: 19.45 BST Wednesday 22 March 1978 Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 54,375 Referee: Pat Partridge Match rules: 90 minutes. 30 minutes extra-time if necessary. Match replayed if scores still level. One named substitute. | Manager: Bob Paisley Team: 1 Ray Clemence (GK) 2 Phil Neal 3 Ray Kennedy 4 Tommy Smith 5 Phil Thompson 6 Emlyn Hughes (c) 7 Kenny Dalglish 8 Jimmy Case 64' 9 Steve Heighway 10 Terry McDermott 11 Ian Callaghan Substitute 12 David Fairclough 64' Scorers: None |