# 2023–24 EFL Cup

The 2023–24 EFL Cup was the 64th season of the EFL Cup (known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons). The competition was open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League.
The winner of the competition qualified for the play-off round of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League. However, as champions Liverpool qualified for the UEFA Champions League that season, the spot for the Conference League play-offs was passed down to runners-up Chelsea, who finished 6th in the 2023–24 Premier League and had not qualified for any UEFA competition beforehand.
Manchester United were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Newcastle United, whom they had beaten in the previous season's final, in the fourth round.
The final was played at Wembley Stadium on 25 February 2024 between Liverpool and Chelsea. Liverpool secured a record-extending tenth title following a 1–0 win after extra time, courtesy of club captain Virgil van Dijk's late header.

## Access

All 92 clubs in the Premier League and English Football League entered the season's EFL Cup.
In the first round, all Championship, League One and League Two clubs entered.
The following round, the Premier League clubs not involved in the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League entered.
| | Clubs entering in this round | Clubs advancing from previous round | Number of games | Main date |
| First round (72 clubs) | 24 clubs from EFL League Two 24 clubs from EFL League One 24 clubs from EFL Championship | N/A | 36 | 8 August 2023 |
| Second round (48 clubs) | 12 Premier League clubs (not involved in European competition) | 36 winners from first round | 24 | 29 August 2023 |
| Third round (32 clubs) | 8 Premier League clubs (involved in European competition) | 24 winners from second round | 16 | 27 September 2023 |
| Fourth round (16 clubs) | No clubs enter the fourth round | 16 winners from third round | 8 | 1 November 2023 |
| Quarter-finals (8 clubs) | No clubs enter the quarter-finals | 8 winners from fourth round | 4 | 19 December 2023 |
| Semi-finals (4 clubs) | No clubs enter the semi-finals | 4 winners from quarter-finals | 4 (two-legged) | 9 January 2024 23 January 2024 |
| Final (2 clubs) | No clubs enter the final | 2 winners from semi-finals | 1 | 25 February 2024 |

## First round

A total of 72 clubs played in the first round: the 24 clubs from League Two the 24 clubs from League One and the 24 clubs from the Championship entered at this stage. The draw for this round was split on a geographical basis into "northern" and "southern" sections. Teams were drawn against a team from the same section.
Number of teams per tier still in the competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Total |
| 20 / 20 | 24 / 24 | 24 / 24 | 24 / 24 | 92 / 92 |
* ↑ Premier League teams joined the competition in the second and third rounds.

### Southern section
## Second round

A total of 48 clubs played in the second round: the 12 Premier League clubs not involved in European competition entered at this stage along with the 36 winners from the first round. The draw for this round was split on a geographical basis into "northern" and "southern" sections. Teams were drawn against a team from the same section.
Number of teams per tier still in the competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Total |
| 20 / 20 | 14 / 24 | 10 / 24 | 12 / 24 | 56 / 92 |

### Southern section
## Third round

A total of 32 clubs played in the third round: the 8 Premier League clubs involved in European competition, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and West Ham United entered the competition at this stage plus the 24 winners from the second round.
Number of teams per tier still in the competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Total |
| 17 / 20 | 7 / 24 | 4 / 24 | 4 / 24 | 32 / 92 |

## Fourth round

A total of 16 teams played in the fourth round. League Two side Mansfield Town were the lowest-ranked team in the draw.
Number of teams per tier still in the competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Total |
| 10 / 20 | 3 / 24 | 2 / 24 | 1 / 24 | 16 / 92 |

## Quarter-finals

A total of eight teams played in the quarter-finals. League One side Port Vale were the lowest-ranked team in the draw, which took place on 1 November.
Number of teams per tier still in the competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Total |
| 6 / 20 | 1 / 24 | 1 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 8 / 92 |

## Semi-finals

A total of four teams played in the semi-finals. Championship side Middlesbrough were the lowest-ranked team in the draw, which took place on 20 December.
Number of teams per tier still in the competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Total |
| 3 / 20 | 1 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 4 / 92 |
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Middlesbrough (2) | 2–6 | Chelsea (1) | 1–0 | 1–6 |
| Liverpool (1) | 3–2 | Fulham (1) | 2–1 | 1–1 |
Chelsea won 6–2 on aggregate.
Liverpool won 3–2 on aggregate.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Morgan Rogers | Middlesbrough | 5 |
| 2 | Cody Gakpo | Liverpool | 4 |
| 3 | John Buckley | Blackburn Rovers | 3 |
| 3 | Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan | Reading | 3 |
| 3 | Kion Etete | Cardiff City | 3 |
| 3 | Jake Garrett | Blackburn Rovers | 3 |
| 3 | Curtis Jones | Liverpool | 3 |
| 3 | Jean-Philippe Mateta | Crystal Palace | 3 |
| 3 | Ben Waine | Plymouth Argyle | 3 |
| 10 | 35 players | 35 players | 2 |