Tag: League Cup

Leicester City Stun Watford In League Cup

Division 3 Leicester City have sprung a huge Cup upset away at Watford in the second round, which could go down as the game of the round.

Leicester City started brightly against their Division 1 opponents, as they hit the post twice in the first half. But it was Watford who scored first as they withstood the pressure before finding a way to score themselves.

Leicester managed to equalise during the second half and it looked like the match was heading for extra time. But the Leicester striker had one small chance late in the game and managed to chip the ball over the defender and keeper from a tight angle in the six yard box, to place the ball into the corner of the goal.

The Watford team were left speechless by the incredible flick which resulted in a sensational goal. Nobody thought that Leicester would score from such a tight angle, but the striker had nothing to lose.

Watford had only seconds left to find a reply but ran out of time, meaning Leicester City were 2-1 winners.

With the revised competition this season, Leicester City have set a new record by becoming the first ever team from Division 3 to reach the League Cup Quarter-finals. There is only one other Division 3 side remaining, who are Coventry City. They will take on Aston Villa in their second round game.

Arsenal Beat Man Utd In League Cup

In what was billed as the big match of this seasons League Cup 2nd Round, Arsenal hosted Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium last night.

Both teams have struggled to progress in this competition over the years, so this was an important match for everyone. One side would progress to the 2-legged quarter-finals, whilst the losing team would have to accept another poor season in this Cup competition.

As expected, the game was a tight affair, with both teams not wanting to give too much away. As play progressed, it became clear that this would not be a high scoring match.

Both teams had good opportunities early on, with the goalkeepers both making crucial saves. Eventually, it was Arsenal that found a way through, with an excellent shot from outside of the area thumping into the corner of the goal.

Manchester United pressed forward to find an equaliser, but Arsenal stood strong. The Arsenal keeper continued to make some good saves to keep his team in the lead. Manchester’s forwards could not find a way to break the Arsenal defence and so it was Arsenal that came out victors with a 1-0 win.

In other ties:

Leeds Utd v Liverpool – Liverpool defeated Division 2 Leeds United 1-0 at Elland Road, to continue Liverpool’s excellent run in the League Cup.

Tottenham v Luton Town – A nervous looking Tottenham team edged past Luton Town with a slender 1-0 win at home.

Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday – Chelsea were keen to put last years League Cup humiliation defeat against Wimbledon behind them, as they came out with all guns firing at home to Sheffield Wednesday. They went 3-0 up before letting the visitors grab consolation goal late in the second half.

Watford v Leicester City – Division 3 Leicester City sprung a huge surprise at Watford, which you can read about here.

West Ham Utd v Wimbledon – Cup holders West Ham faced a difficult tie as they welcomed London rivals Wimbledon. The Dons had already knocked out last seasons losing finalists in Newcastle, so they were not a team to be underestimated. The match became even more difficult when a sloppy West Ham defender gifted Wimbledon a penalty in the first half, which Wimbledon duly converted. West Ham fought back and pressured with a number of corners until they found an equaliser.

In extra time, West Ham set up some good chances and managed to score a goal to take the lead on the night. Wimbledon responded and had one final opportunity in injury time, which the West Ham keeper managed to keep out, despite being caught in a bundle by Wimbledon players. West Ham were relieved to hear the final whistle, as they take their place in the draw for the quarter-finals.

Manchester City v Charlton Athletic – Manchester City took on a feisty Charlton at the Etihad stadium, with both teams wanting a place in the quarter-finals. They had previous played out a draw in their first league game of the campaign, so were keen to get one over the other side. Charlton scored first, but it did not take Manchester long to get back into the game. It was a close game, even through extra time, but neither side could find a winner. Charlton had chances to take the match during penalties, but City fought back and scored their final penalty to win the match.

Aston Villa v Coventry City – This was always going to be a tough midlands battle, even though Aston Villa sat a Division higher. There was not much between the sides, although the shooting was equally bad. After a 0-0 draw, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Even at this point, the sides could not be split as it ended 3-3. In sudden death, Villa converted their first one, but Coventry missed, leaving Villa to celebrate on the night.

Arsenal Drawn Against Man Utd In League Cup 2nd Round

Week 3 sees the 2nd round of the League Cup. In a revised format of the competition, the majority of teams played in the 1st Round with the top 4 teams from Division 1 last season earning a bye into the second round. Those teams with a bye are Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Cup holders West Ham

It is incredible that two of those four teams have been drawn against each other, in what will be the only all first Division tie. Arsenal are hosting Manchester United in what will be an incredible game and will be played days before both sides play each other in a Division 1 fixture.

In other matches, Leeds United take on mighty Liverpool and Spurs play Luton Town. Chelsea take on a solid Sheffield Wednesday side from Division 2 and West Ham will play Wimbledon, who knocked out last years losing finalists Newcastle.

These games will be played after the Week 3 league matches.

Year 5 League Cup Final – Match Report

The players lined up on the pitch at the beginning of the match but sadly there was no-one famous to meet them today as Prince Charles was busy meeting homeless puppies at a local rescue centre. At least the teams got a good look at the giant trophy as they stood for their pre-match photo. The kit man for Newcastle was also disciplined just before kick off, as when both teams walked out they realised that the kits looked quite similar from a distance. The poor fans in row Z had no idea what was going on. Newcastle, who were assigned the away dressing room, should have worn their away strip! After that drama, on with the game.

Newcastle took a surprise lead in the first half against the run of play. A breakaway saw them go three players against two and they took the opportunity to score. 1-0 to Newcastle

Straight after half-time, West Ham were in command and a lucky deflection saw them equalise within a few minutes. Thank goodness VAR was not in use today as the West Ham strikers big toe looked slightly offside, although the West Ham fans claimed he had trimmed it before the game, so the goal was allowed stand! 1-1

West Ham equalise with a deflected goal

The game could have gone either way at this point. Newcastle were next to find a way through as their striker scored a fantastic goal from outside of the area as he lobbed the last defender, who appeared to be busy looking for his mum in the crowd. 2-1 to Newcastle.

Newcastle score from outside the box

Newcastle were counting down the seconds to the end of the game to win their first Cup Final, but in the dying seconds the ball ran to a West Ham forward. With the final kick of the game, West Ham poked it around the keeper to make it 2 -2. The crowd went wild as if the ball had not gone into the goal, Newcastle would have been declared the winners. The Newcastle players were stunned that the game was not over.

A fantastic strike from West Ham to take the Final into extra time

Extra Time
Both teams went for the win in extra time and it was only thanks to both goalkeepers that the score remained level. Firstly, the Newcastle keeper made a great save to push the ball out to the side line. With only a few minutes remaining, an opening was found by Newcastle and it was only down to the brilliance of the West Ham keeper that the ball stayed out. The ball cannoned off a defender and the keeper had to get back to his feet and push the spinning ball away. The score remained 2-2.

Penalties
For the first time, the League Cup would be decided by penalties. After the coin toss, Newcastle would go first. Newcastle scored first and West Ham missed their penalty, meaning Newcastle took the early advantage 1-0. Newcastle then missed their second and West Ham were able to equalise. It was honours even, until Newcastle stumbled and missed their 4th. West Ham scored to make it 3-2. Newcastle needed to score their 5th, which they did to make it 3-3 with one penalty left. West Ham stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 4-3 after penalties and win the cup.

West Ham United win the League Cup for the second time

The results for all of Year 5’s League Cup games can be found here.

Year 5 League Cup Final Preview

The League Cup Final will take place this weekend, with it being the first Cup Final in our new stadium. The ground has been prepared for the big game, with red and white sponsors adorning the pitch fencing.

So what about the two teams in the final?

Division 1 West Ham are looking to be the first team to win the League Cup twice, after they won the trophy three years ago. They have been awarded the home dressing room so will take a slight advantage into the game.

Newcastle United of Division 2 have had an incredible run to their first cup final. They have beaten three Division 1 teams on their cup run, which include Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool. Will their run of luck continue or have they come up against one too many top teams?

West Ham are the bookies favourites for the match – although the odds are close, as Newcastle are a team not to be underestimated this year. Both teams have already been knocked out of the FA Cup, so this is their big chance for silverware this year.

The Official Subbuteo League Cup trophy will be presented on the pitch to the winning team after the game, let’s hope that none of the players get squashed underneath it, considering its about 10 times too big!