Football League Cup 2008-09

The Football League Cup 2008–09, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 49th season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs. The winners qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, if not already qualified for European competition.
Manchester United won the competition by defeating defending champions Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in the final on 1 March 2009.
==First Round==
The draw for the First Round took place on 13 June 2008, with matches being played two months later in the week beginning 11 August 2008.
The 72 Football League clubs competed from the First Round, which was divided into North and South sections. Each section was divided equally into a pot of seeded clubs and a pot of unseeded clubs. Clubs' rankings depend upon their finishing position in the 2007–08 season.
====North====
Tie no 	Home team 	Score1 	Away team 	Attendance
1 	Preston North End 	2 – 0 	Chesterfield 	5,150
2 	Chester City 	2 – 5 	Leeds United 	3,644
3 	Leicester City 	1 – 0 	Stockport County 	7,386
4 	Sheffield United 	3 – 1 	Port Vale 	7,694
5 	Grimsby Town 	2 – 0 	Tranmere Rovers 	1,858
6 	Crewe Alexandra 	2 – 0 	Barnsley 	2,492
7 	Hartlepool United 	3 – 0 	Scunthorpe United 	2,076
8 	Derby County 	1 – 1 	Lincoln City 	10,091
Derby County won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Derby County won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Derby County won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Derby County won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Derby County won 3 – 1 after extra time
9 	Notts County 	0 – 0 	Doncaster Rovers 	3,272
Notts County won 1 – 0 after extra time 	Notts County won 1 – 0 after extra time 	Notts County won 1 – 0 after extra time 	Notts County won 1 – 0 after extra time 	Notts County won 1 – 0 after extra time
10 	Sheffield Wednesday 	1 – 1 	Rotherham United 	16,298
2 – 2 after extra time – Rotherham United won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Rotherham United won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Rotherham United won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Rotherham United won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Rotherham United won 5 – 3 on penalties
11 	Shrewsbury Town 	0 – 1 	Carlisle United 	3,337
12 	Wolverhampton Wanderers 	1 – 1 	Accrington Stanley 	9,424
Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3 – 2 after extra time
13 	Bury 	0 – 2 	Burnley 	4,276
14 	Rochdale 	0 – 0 	Oldham Athletic 	5,786
0 – 0 after extra time – Oldham Athletic won 4 – 1 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Oldham Athletic won 4 – 1 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Oldham Athletic won 4 – 1 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Oldham Athletic won 4 – 1 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Oldham Athletic won 4 – 1 on penalties
15 	Nottingham Forest 	4 – 0 	Morecambe 	4,030
16 	Huddersfield Town 	4 – 0 	Bradford City 	8,932
17 	Macclesfield Town 	2 – 0 	Blackpool 	1,631
18 	Walsall 	1 – 2 	Darlington 	2,702
====South====
Tie no 	Home team 	Score1 	Away team 	Attendance
1 	Coventry City 	3 – 1 	Aldershot Town 	9,293
2 	Milton Keynes Dons 	1 – 0 	Norwich City 	6,261
3 	Wycombe Wanderers 	0 – 4 	Birmingham City 	2,735
4 	Brighton & Hove Albion 	4 – 0 	Barnet 	2,571
5 	Gillingham 	0 – 1 	Colchester United 	2,566
6 	Southend United 	0 – 0 	Cheltenham Town 	2,998
Cheltenham Town won 1 – 0 after extra time	Cheltenham Town won 1 – 0 after extra time	Cheltenham Town won 1 – 0 after extra time	Cheltenham Town won 1 – 0 after extra time	Cheltenham Town won 1 – 0 after extra time
7 	Swansea City 	2 – 0 	Brentford 	5,366
8 	Luton Town 	2 – 0 	Plymouth Argyle 	2,682
9 	Exeter City 	1 – 3 	Southampton 	6,471
10 	Watford 	1 – 0 	Bristol Rovers 	5,574
11 	Bournemouth 	1 – 2 	Cardiff City 	3,399
12 	Bristol City 	2 – 1 	Peterborough United 	5,684
13 	Charlton Athletic 	0 – 1 	Yeovil Town 	6,239
14 	Millwall 	0 – 1 	Northampton Town 	3,525
15 	Swindon Town 	2 – 3 	Queens Park Rangers 	7,230
16 	Crystal Palace 	2 – 1 	Hereford United 	3,094
17 	Dagenham & Redbridge 	1 – 2 	Reading 	2,360
18 	Ipswich Town 	4 – 1 	Leyton Orient 	10,477
1 Score after 90 minutes
==Second Round==
Twelve Premier League teams – including the eleven that were not involved in European competitions – entered at this stage, along with the winners from the First Round. The draw for the Second Round took place on 13 August 2008, and the matches were played in the week beginning 25 August 2008, with the exception of Manchester City's game against Brighton & Hove Albion, which was played on 24 September.
Tie no 	Home team 	Score1 	Away team 	Attendance
1 	Ipswich Town 	2 – 1 	Colchester United 	17,084
2 	Coventry City 	2 – 2 	Newcastle United 	19,249
Newcastle United won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Newcastle United won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Newcastle United won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Newcastle United won 3 – 2 after extra time 	Newcastle United won 3 – 2 after extra time
3 	Hartlepool United 	1 – 1 	West Bromwich Albion 	3,387
Hartlepool United won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Hartlepool United won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Hartlepool United won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Hartlepool United won 3 – 1 after extra time 	Hartlepool United won 3 – 1 after extra time
4 	West Ham United 	1 – 1 	Macclesfield Town 	10,055
West Ham United won 4 – 1 after extra time 	West Ham United won 4 – 1 after extra time 	West Ham United won 4 – 1 after extra time 	West Ham United won 4 – 1 after extra time 	West Ham United won 4 – 1 after extra time
5 	Huddersfield Town 	1 – 2 	Sheffield United 	15,189
6 	Cardiff City 	2 – 1 	Milton Keynes Dons 	6,334
7 	Swansea City 	1 – 1 	Hull City 	8,622
Swansea City won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Swansea City won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Swansea City won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Swansea City won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Swansea City won 2 – 1 after extra time
8 	Rotherham United 	0 – 0 	Wolverhampton Wanderers 	5,404
0 – 0 after extra time – Rotherham United won 4 – 3 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Rotherham United won 4 – 3 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Rotherham United won 4 – 3 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Rotherham United won 4 – 3 on penalties 	0 – 0 after extra time – Rotherham United won 4 – 3 on penalties
9 	Brighton & Hove Albion 	1 – 1 	Manchester City 	8,729
2 – 2 after extra time – Brighton & Hove Albion won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Brighton & Hove Albion won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Brighton & Hove Albion won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Brighton & Hove Albion won 5 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Brighton & Hove Albion won 5 – 3 on penalties
10 	Reading 	5 – 1 	Luton Town 	7,498
11 	Blackburn Rovers 	4 – 1 	Grimsby Town 	8,379
12 	Wigan Athletic 	4 – 0 	Notts County 	4,100
13 	Leeds United 	4 – 0 	Crystal Palace 	10,765
14 	Crewe Alexandra 	2 – 1 	Bristol City 	3,227
15 	Middlesbrough 	5 – 1 	Yeovil Town 	15,651
16 	Fulham 	3 – 2 	Leicester City 	7,584
17 	Queens Park Rangers 	4 – 0 	Carlisle United 	8,021
18 	Nottingham Forest 	1 – 1 	Sunderland 	9,198
Sunderland won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Sunderland won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Sunderland won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Sunderland won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Sunderland won 2 – 1 after extra time
19 	Burnley 	3 – 0 	Oldham Athletic 	5,528
20 	Southampton 	2 – 0 	Birmingham City 	11,331
21 	Bolton Wanderers 	1 – 2 	Northampton Town 	7,136
22 	Watford 	1 – 1 	Darlington 	5,236
Watford won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Watford won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Watford won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Watford won 2 – 1 after extra time 	Watford won 2 – 1 after extra time
23 	Preston North End 	0 – 1 	Derby County 	8,037
24 	Cheltenham Town 	2 – 3 	Stoke City 	3,600
1 Score after 90 minutes
==Third Round==
Eight teams involved in European competition entered at this stage along with the winners from the Second Round. Since nine English teams qualified for European competition in 2008, it was initially unclear precisely which eight teams would automatically enter the third round. Either Aston Villa, who had entered into European competition via the UEFA Intertoto Cup, or Manchester City, who qualified for the UEFA Cup via the UEFA Fair Play ranking would enter in the Third Round with the other entering in the Second Round instead. On 29 July 2008, it was announced that Aston Villa would enter the 2008–09 Carling Cup at the Third Round stage after reaching the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
The draw for the Third Round was held on 30 August 2008, and the matches were played on Tuesday, 23 September and Wednesday, 24 September 2008, with the exception of the match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Derby County, which was played on 4 November.
 
Tie no 	Home team 	Score1 	Away team 	Attendance
1 	Arsenal 	6 – 0 	Sheffield United 	56,632
2 	Brighton & Hove Albion 	1 – 4 	Derby County 	6,625
3 	Burnley 	1 – 0 	Fulham 	7,119
4 	Portsmouth 	0 – 4 	Chelsea 	15,339
5 	Blackburn Rovers 	1 – 0 	Everton 	14,366
6 	Rotherham United 	3 – 1 	Southampton 	5,147
7 	Swansea City 	1 – 0 	Cardiff City 	17,411
8 	Ipswich Town 	1 – 4 	Wigan Athletic 	13,803
9 	Stoke City 	2 – 2 	Reading 	9,141
2 – 2 after extra time – Stoke City won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Stoke City won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Stoke City won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Stoke City won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Stoke City won 4 – 3 on penalties
10 	Leeds United 	3 – 2 	Hartlepool United 	14,599
11 	Watford 	1 – 0 	West Ham United 	12,914
12 	Manchester United 	3 – 1 	Middlesbrough 	53,729
13 	Liverpool 	2 – 1 	Crewe Alexandra 	28,591
14 	Aston Villa 	0 – 1 	Queens Park Rangers 	21,541
15 	Sunderland 	2 – 2 	Northampton Town 	21,082
2 – 2 after extra time – Sunderland won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Sunderland won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Sunderland won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Sunderland won 4 – 3 on penalties	2 – 2 after extra time – Sunderland won 4 – 3 on penalties
16 	Newcastle United 	1 – 2 	Tottenham Hotspur 	20,577
1 Score after 90 minutes
==Fourth Round==
The Fourth Round draw took place on Saturday, 27 September, and the matches were played in the week commencing 10 November 2008.
 
Tie no 	Home team 	Score1 	Away team 	Attendance
1 	Sunderland 	1 – 2 	Blackburn Rovers 	18,555
2 	Arsenal 	3 – 0 	Wigan Athletic 	59,665
3 	Chelsea 	1 – 1 	Burnley 	41,369
1 – 1 after extra time – Burnley won 5 – 4 on penalties	1 – 1 after extra time – Burnley won 5 – 4 on penalties	1 – 1 after extra time – Burnley won 5 – 4 on penalties	1 – 1 after extra time – Burnley won 5 – 4 on penalties	1 – 1 after extra time – Burnley won 5 – 4 on penalties
4 	Swansea City 	0 – 1 	Watford 	9,549
5 	Manchester United 	1 – 0 	Queens Park Rangers 	62,539
6 	Stoke City 	2 – 0 	Rotherham United 	15,458
7 	Derby County 	2 – 1 	Leeds United 	18,540
8 	Tottenham Hotspur 	4 – 2 	Liverpool 	33,242
1 Score after 90 minutes
==Fifth Round==
The Fifth Round draw took place on Saturday, 15 November and the matches were played week in the commencing 1 December 2008.
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==Semi-finals==
The semi-final draw took place on Saturday, 6 December 2008. The first leg matches were played on Tuesday, 6 January 2009 and Wednesday, 7 January 2009, while the second legs were played on Tuesday, 20 January 2009 and Wednesday, 21 January 2009.
===First leg===
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===Second leg===
Manchester United won 4–3 on aggregate
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Tottenham Hotspur won 6–4 on aggregate
==Final==
The final was played at Wembley Stadium, London, on Sunday, 1 March 2009.
== Top scorers ==
The top scorers in the 2008–09 Football League Cup are as follows:
Rank	Scorer 	Club 	Goals
1 	Nathan Ellington 	Derby County 	6
1 	Roman Pavlyuchenko	Tottenham Hotspur 	6
1 	Carlos Tévez 	Manchester United 	6
4 	Martin Paterson 	Burnley 	5
5 	Jermaine Beckford 	Leeds United 	4
5 	James Henry 	Reading 	4
5 	Carlos Vela 	Arsenal 	4
5 	Emmanuel Villa 	Derby County 	4
9 	Henri Camara 	Wigan Athletic 	3
9 	Matt Derbyshire 	Blackburn Rovers 	3
9 	Robert Earnshaw 	Nottingham Forest 	3
9 	Emmanuel Ledesma 	Queens Park Rangers	3
9 	Nani 	Manchester United 	3
9 	Joel Porter 	Hartlepool United 	3
==References==
==External links==
* Official Carling Cup website
* Carling Cup News at football-league.co.uk
* Carling Cup at bbc.co.uk
2008-09