2012 League Cup Final Preview

2012 League Cup Final Preview
February 24, 2012 Gary Fulcher

Liverpool travel to Wembley Stadium on Sunday to face Cardiff City in the Carling Cup Final, our first final appearance of any form since the 2007 Champions League final defeat to AC Milan. If the Liverbird triumphs over the Bluebird(s) then Kenny Dalglish will become the first Liverpool manager to lift all three domestic trophies.

Standing in his way is Craig Bellamy’s former club Cardiff City – who currently sit in the play-off places in the Championship and stand a chance of gaining promotion back to England’s top division for the first time since the 1961/62 season.

Random Trivia: Steven Gerrard will come face to face with his cousin Anthony Gerrard for the first time on the football pitch if the latter retains his place in the Cardiff side.

Random Trivia: Cardiff City are the only non-English club to have lifted one of the three major domestic honours in English football. They lifted the FA Cup in 1927, defeating Arsenal 1-0.

LEAGUE CUP HISTORY

Liverpool have won the League Cup on seven occasions – which is a competition record – and Sunday’s meeting with Cardiff City will be our eleventh appearance in the final (also a competition record) since the tournament was formed in 1960.

Other notable records held by Liverpool or Liverpool players include joint highest victory (10 – 0 v Fulham, 1986), most competition wins by an individual player (Ian Rush with 5), most final appearances by an individual player with a single club (Ian Rush with 6) and most goals scored by an individual player (Ian Rush with 49 goals, a record he shares with Geoff Hurst).

Cardiff have never lifted the League Cup and their visit to Wembley marks the first appearance in the final of this competition in the Welsh club’s history. The two clubs have met just once previously in this tournament, all the way back in 2007 at the 4th round stage. For those of you who are too young to remember, the Reds sealed a 2-1 win – over a Cardiff City side that featured Robbie Fowler in the line-up – thanks to goals from Nabil El Zhar and Steven Gerrard.

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