1987–88 Football League Cup
| League Cup, Littlewoods Challenge Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country |  England Wales |
| Teams | 92 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Luton Town (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Arsenal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Goals scored | Brian McClair (5) |
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 in front of 95,732 spectators at Wembley Stadium, was won by Luton Town by 3–2.
First round
First Leg
Second Leg
Second round
First Leg
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[1] | Ipswich Town | 7 October 1987 | 3–5 |
| Norwich City | 1–0 | Burnley | 7 October 1987 | 2–1 |
| Oldham Athletic | 4–1[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[1] | 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
Ties
| 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[1] | Leeds United | 4 November 1987 |
| Reading | 1–0 | Peterborough United | 4 November 1987 |
| Watford | 4–2 | Swindon Town | 3 November 1987 |
Fourth round
Ties
| 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
Ties
| 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 |
Final
References
General
- "English League Cup 1987/1988". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- "England League Cup Full Results 1960–1996". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- "English League Cup 1987/1988". Statto. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
Specific