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2012 Football League Cup final

The 2012 Football League Cup final was a football match between Cardiff City and Liverpool on 26 February 2012 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 2011–12 Football League Cup, the 52nd season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. Cardiff were appearing in their first final, while Liverpool were appearing in the final for the eleventh time; they had previously won seven and lost three finals.

2012 Football League Cup final
Match programme cover
Event2011–12 Football League Cup
After extra time
Liverpool won 3–2 on penalties
Date26 February 2012 (2012-02-26)
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchStewart Downing[1]
RefereeMark Clattenburg (County Durham)[2]
Attendance89,041[3]
WeatherPartly cloudy
10 °C (50 °F)
2011
2013

As Cardiff were in the Football League, they played one more round than Liverpool who received a bye in the first round. Therefore, Cardiff progressed through six rounds to reach the final, whereas Liverpool progressed through five. Matches up to the semi-final were contested on a one-off basis with the exception of the semi-finals, which were contested over two-legs with a match at each team's home ground. Both Liverpool and Cardiff's matches were close affairs; their biggest margins of victory was by two goals. Liverpool beat Manchester City to reach the final, whereas Cardiff progressed via a penalty shoot-out against Crystal Palace.

Watched by a crowd of 89,041, Cardiff took the lead in the first half when Joe Mason scored. The score remained the same through half-time until Liverpool equalised in the 60th minute, when Martin Škrtel scored. With the score 1–1 at full-time, the match went to extra-time as neither side were able to score a second goal. The first half of extra-time was goalless, but three minutes into the second half Liverpool took the lead when Dirk Kuyt scored. However two minutes before the end of extra-time Cardiff equalised to make the score 2–2, courtesy of a goal from Ben Turner. With the score at 2–2 at the end of extra-time the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Despite missing their first two penalties, Liverpool won the shoot-out 3–2 to win the League Cup for a record eighth time.

Liverpool's manager Kenny Dalglish stated in the aftermath, that the victory would lead to more trophies. The club reached the 2012 FA Cup final, but were beaten 2–1 by Chelsea. Their league form faltered after the victory and they finished the season in 8th place. Despite this, victory in the final ensured Liverpool had qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Cardiff manager Malky Mackay was proud of his team despite their defeat. They finished the season in 6th place in the 2011–12 Football League Championship, reaching the playoffs where they were beaten by West Ham United over two-legs.

Route to the final edit

Cardiff City edit

 
Cardiff City fans during the final
Round Opponents Score
1st Oxford United (a) 3–1 (a.e.t.)
2nd Huddersfield Town (h) 5–3 (a.e.t.)
3rd Leicester City (h) 2–2 (7–6 pen)
4th Burnley (h) 1–0
5th Blackburn Rovers (h) 2–0
SF Crystal Palace (a) 0–1
Crystal Palace (h) 1–0

Cardiff entered the 2011–12 Football League Cup in the first round where they faced Oxford United. The match played at the Kassam Stadium saw Cardiff take the lead in the 10th minute when Craig Conway scored. Oxford equalised 20 minutes later courtesy of a Simon Clist goal. Neither side was able to score a winning goal during the remainder of the match, which went into extra-time at 1–1. Two goals from Peter Whittingham and Nathaniel Jarvis secured a 3–1 victory for Cardiff.[4] Their opponents in the second round were Huddersfield Town. Two goals in the first 16 minutes courtesy of Gabor Gyepes and Jon Parkin gave Cardiff an early 2–0 lead, which they held until the 55th minute when Huddersfield reduced the deficit to 2–1 courtesy of a Jordan Rhodes goal. Daniel Ward equalised for Huddersfield in the 69th minute before Rhodes scored his second goal of the match to give Huddersfield a 3–2 lead in the 87th minute. Cardiff equalised two minutes into stoppage time when Don Cowie headed the ball in from close range. With the score at 3–3 after 90 minutes the match went to extra-time. A goal each from Conway and Cowie gave Cardiff a 5–3 victory and progression to the third round.[5]

Leicester City were the opponents in the third round. Cardiff playing at their home ground the Cardiff City Stadium took the lead in the 32nd minute when Cowie scored. Leicester equalised seven minutes later when Steve Howard scored from close range. Leicester then took the lead in the 65th minute courtesy of a Lloyd Dyer goal. Cardiff equalised when Rudy Gestede with nine minutes of the match remaining. The score remained 2–2 until full-time and throughout extra-time, which mean the match would be decided by a penalty shoot-out. Cardiff won the shoot-out 7–6 to progress to the fourth round.[6]

Cardiff were drawn at home against Burnley in the fourth round. They won the match 1–0 courtesy of a Joe Mason goal in the first half. The result was the first time in the competition Cardiff's match did not go into extra-time and it was the first they had reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup since 1965.[7] Their opponents in the quarter-finals were Blackburn Rovers. Two goals from Kenny Miller and Anthony Gerrard secured a 2–0 victory for Cardiff and their progression to the semi-finals.[8]

Crystal Palace were Cardiff's opponents in the semi-final which was played over two-legs. The first leg was played at Palace's home ground Selhurst Park. Cardiff started the match the better of the two sides but were unable to convert their chances. Palace took the lead in the 43rd minute when Anthony Gardner headed in Darren Ambrose's cross. Neither side scored again and the match ended 1–0.[9] The second leg at the Cardiff City Stadium started well for Cardiff when they went ahead in the seventh minute after an own-goal from Palace defender Gardner, which levelled the aggregate score at 1–1. Palace were reduced to ten men in the second half when Paddy McCarthy was sent-off. Despite their numerical advantage Cardiff were unable to a second goal during the 90 minutes and extra-time and the tie went to a penalty shoot-out. Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton saved two penalties as Cardiff won the shoot-out 3–1 to progress to their first League Cup final.[10]

Liverpool edit

 
Liverpool fans during the final
Round Opponents Score
2nd Exeter City (a) 3–1
3rd Brighton & Hove Albion (a) 2–1
4th Stoke City (a) 2–1
5th Chelsea (a) 2–0
SF Manchester City (a) 1–0
Manchester City (h) 2–2

Liverpool entered the competition in the second round, as one of the twelve teams from the Premier League who were not involved in European competition during the season.[11] They were drawn against Exeter City in the second round. The match, played at Exeter's home ground, St James Park was won by Liverpool; goals from Luis Suárez, Maxi Rodríguez and Andy Carroll helped the team win 3–1.[12]

Liverpool's opponents in the third round were Brighton & Hove Albion. The match was played at Brighton's home ground, the Falmer Stadium. Liverpool took the lead in the 7th minute when Craig Bellamy scored. Dirk Kuyt extended the lead in the second half, scoring in the 82nd minute. Brighton pulled a goal back courtesy of an Ashley Barnes penalty kick, but were unable to score an equaliser; the match finished 2–1 to Liverpool.[13]

Stoke City were Liverpool's opponents in the fourth round. The match, held at Stoke's home ground the Britannia Stadium saw Stoke take the lead towards the end of the first-half when Kenwyne Jones scored. Liverpool equalised in the 54th minute courtesy of a goal from Suárez, and he scored the winner in the 84th minute to give Liverpool a 2–1 victory and a place in the fifth round.[14] Liverpool were drawn against Chelsea in the subsequent round. At Stamford Bridge, Carroll missed a penalty in a goalless first half. Despite this Liverpool scored twice after the interval, courtesy of goals from Maxi and Martin Kelly. They won the match 2–0 to reach the semi-finals.[15]

Liverpool were drawn against Manchester City in the semi-finals which were held over two-legs. The first leg was at City's home ground, the Etihad stadium. Liverpool won the match 1–0, courtesy of a Steven Gerrard penalty.[16] The second leg was held at Liverpool's home ground Anfield. City took the lead in the first half when Nigel de Jong scored, ten minutes later Gerrard equalised when he scored a penalty. At half-time, the score was 1–1 with Liverpool leading 2–1 on aggregate. City took the lead in the match when Edin Džeko scored in the 67th minute. The goal meant the aggregate score was 2–2 but City would progress to the final if the score remained the same due to the away goals rule. Liverpool needed to find an equaliser, and seven minutes after Džeko's goal they did, when Bellamy scored. City tried to score an equaliser but to no avail, and the match finished 2–2, with Liverpool progressing to the final courtesy of a 3–2 aggregate victory.[17]

Match edit

Background edit

 
The Liverpool and Cardiff players lining up before the start of the match.

Cardiff were appearing in their first League Cup final; they had previously reached the semi-final of the competition in the 1965–66 season, when they were beaten by West Ham United 5–1 on aggregate. They were also the first team from outside the Premier League to reach the final since 2001, when Birmingham City lost to Liverpool.[18] Liverpool were appearing in their eleventh final; they had won seven (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003) and lost three (1978, 1987, 2005). The last meeting between the two teams was in the 2007–08 Football League Cup on 31 October 2007, Liverpool won 2–1 to progress to the fifth round.[19]

This was the fourth time in as many years that Cardiff City had played at Wembley Stadium.[20] They played at the stadium twice during the 2007–08 FA Cup; they beat Barnsley 1–0 in the semi-final before losing 1–0 to Portsmouth in the final.[21] Their last match at the stadium was the 2010 Championship play-off final against Blackpool, which they lost 3–2.[22] The final represented the first time Liverpool had visited the new Wembley Stadium; their previous appearances in the final in 2001, 2003 and 2005 had been played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while Wembley was being rebuilt. Their last visit to Wembley was in 1996 when they reached the final of the FA Cup, match they lost 1–0 to Manchester United at the old Wembley Stadium.[23]

A week before the final Cardiff played Ipswich Town in the 2011–12 Football League Championship – it was their last match before the final, which they lost 3–0.[24] Cardiff had a few injury concerns ahead of the final. Captain Mark Hudson had a calf problem, while midfielder Stephen McPhail had missed Cardiff's last four matches as he was suffering from Sjögren's syndrome, an immune system disorder. Goalkeeper Heaton was also a doubt with a knock on his ankle, but he was considered likely to start the match.[25] Cardiff manager Malky Mackay acknowledged that Liverpool went into the match as favourites, but he was confident his team could provide a shock: "Obviously we are underdogs but we have a chance in the final, Maybe only a one in 10 chance but that's still a chance if you turn up motivated, fit and organised and I think I can promise that."[26]

Liverpool's last match before the final was against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup, which they won 6–1.[27] Despite the margin of victory, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was adamant that the result meant nothing in regards to the final: "Defeating Brighton has got us to the next round, but it doesn't really help us in the Carling Cup, we've got a cup final but we won't get carried away." Despite missing the match against Brighton, Dalglish was confident that Daniel Agger and Craig Bellamy would be fit for the final.[28] Going into the match Liverpool had not won a trophy since they beat West Ham United in the 2006 FA Cup Final. Dalglish stated that victory: "means a lot to me, more importantly it means a lot to a lot of people who have had to endure a few years when we've not been [to Wembley]."[29]

Both clubs received an allocation of approximately 31,000 tickets. Cardiff fans would be housed in the East End of the stadium, while Liverpool fans were allocated the West End of the stadium.[30] Ticket prices were increased from last year's final, with the most expensive tickets costing £90 up £4 from the previous year. The least expensive tickets cost £40, which was £2 more than last year.[30][31] It was decided that before the match started national anthems would not be played. This decision was made to avoid spectators jeering the anthems, as happened during the 2008 FA Cup Final between Portsmouth and Cardiff.[32]

First-half edit

 
Cardiff and Liverpool players compete to win possession of the ball from a throw-in

Cardiff set up in a 4–4–1–1 formation with Rudy Gestede in the striker position supported by Kenny Miller. Liverpool lined up in a 4–2–3–1 formation, with Andy Carroll starting as the lone striker, with Luis Suárez playing behind him and Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing either side.[33] Cardiff kicked off, but Liverpool had the first chance of the match. Steven Gerrard passed the ball to Stewart Downing on the left hand side of the pitch, he passed to Glen Johnson whose shot hit the crossbar, the ball rebounded to Gerrard, but he sent his shot over the Cardiff goal.[33] Liverpool had the best of the opening minutes of the match, with Cardiff unable to keep possession of the ball.[34] Liverpool had another chance in the sixth minute; Downing went past Cardiff defender Kevin McNaughton down the left of the pitch and crossed the ball into the penalty area, which was cleared for a corner kick. The resulting corner found Andy Carroll, but his header was deflected out for another corner which was caught by Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton.[34]

Cardiff began to exert themselves in the match and had their first chance in the tenth minute. Peter Whittingham and Aron Gunnarsson exchanged the ball before it was passed to Rudy Gestede, who found Kenny Miller in the Liverpool penalty area, however his resulting shot went over the Liverpool goal.[33] Carroll had a chance to score in the 19th minute but his header was saved by Heaton. Cardiff immediately went on the attack and scored the first goal of the match. Martin Škrtel's clearance from McNaughton's initial cross went back to the Cardiff player who passed to Miller, he passed the ball to Joe Mason who had run onto the pass from the right hand side of the pitch. His subsequent shot went through the legs of Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina and into the Liverpool goal to give Cardiff a 1–0 lead.[34] Liverpool responded by pushing men forward in an attempt to level the score. The first chance after Cardiff's goal saw defender Daniel Agger advance from his own half towards the Cardiff goal but his shot from 30 yards (27 m) was blocked and went out for a throw-in.[33] Liverpool had another chance from a similar distance a few minutes later but Carroll sent his shot over the crossbar.[35] Liverpool had a penalty appeal turned down in the 32nd minute when Ben Turner was adjudged not to have handled the ball. Immediately afterwards Johnson's cross was cleared by Mark Hudson, the ball fell to Charlie Adam who sent his shot just wide of the Cardiff goal.[34] Just before half-time Liverpool had a chance to equalise, but Agger's header from Gerrard's free-kick was saved by Heaton.[33]

Second-half edit

Liverpool had the first attack of the half when they were awarded a free-kick for foul on José Enrique. The subsequent free-kick was cleared by Whittingham only as far as Henderson whose shot was wide of the Cardiff goal.[35] Two minutes later Cardiff had a chance to extend their lead; Whittingham went past Agger and passed to Don Cowie, who back heeled the ball to Miller, his subsequent shot went wide of the Liverpool goal.[34] Henderson received the first yellow card of the match after his tackle on Mason was deemed to be too high.[33] Cardiff had another chance in the 56th minute; a Gunnarsson long throw was punched away by Reina, but the clearance fell to Hudson, who headed the ball into the Liverpool penalty area to Gestede, his subsequent header was blocked by the Liverpool goalkeeper.[34] Liverpool made the first substitution of the match a minute later when Henderson was replaced by Craig Bellamy.[35] Two minutes after the substitution, Liverpool equalised. Downing took a corner kick, which was headed on by Carroll to Suárez, whose header hit the post, it rebounded to Škrtel; his shot went into the Cardiff goal to level the match at 1–1.[33] Cardiff had the first chance after Liverpool's goal, but Mason's shot was saved by Reina.[33]

The minutes after Škrtel's goal saw Liverpool dominate, but they were unable to score a second goal despite a number of chances.[34] Liverpool conceded a free-kick 22 yards (20 m) from their goal after Miller was fouled. Whittingham's subsequent shot hit Liverpool players and went out for a Cardiff throw-in. The resulting throw from Gunnarsson was flicked on by Gestede, but it was headed away by Liverpool.[34] Minutes later, Cardiff had a chance to score, but Turner's header from Cowie's pass went wide of the Liverpool goal.[35] Two minutes later, Liverpool had another chance to score, but Charlie Adam's shot was saved by Heaton.[33] Liverpool made their second substitution of the match in the 87th minute when Jamie Carragher replaced Agger.[35] Two minutes before the end of the match, Cardiff had a chance to score: Liverpool conceded a free-kick, which was passed to Miller, who was in space, but his went over the Liverpool goal.[33] With the scores level at 1–1, the match went into extra time after the referee brought an end to the 90 minutes of play.[35]

Extra time edit

 
Players from both sides taking a break during the changeover of ends in extra time

Before the start of extra time Cardiff made their first substitution of the match, goalscorer Mason was replaced by Filip Kiss.[35] Liverpool had the first chance to score in extra time, but Suárez's header was cleared off the line by Andrew Taylor.[34] Cardiff appeared to be playing for a penalty shoot-out, as they were positioning the majority of their team behind the ball and in front of their goal.[33] Cardiff captain Hudson was replaced in the 98th minute by Anthony Gerrard after suffering from cramp.[34] Liverpool had another chance in the 101st minute, when a pass by Gerrard was cleared for a corner kick by Taylor. The resulting corner was met by Carroll, but his header was wide of the Cardiff goal. Immediately after the attack Carroll was replaced by Dirk Kuyt.[33] Just before the end of the first half of extra time Liverpool had another chance. Bellamy went past two men down the left hand side of the pitch before exchanging passes with Kuyt, however his subsequent shot went wide.[34]

Just after the start of the second half of extra time Cardiff made their final substitution, replacing McNaughton with Darcy Blake. Two minutes later Kuyt made a run from deep in the Liverpool half, his initial shot was blocked, but the ball rebounded towards him. As the ball came back to him he shot again and the ball went past Heaton and into the Cardiff goal to give Liverpool a 2–1 lead.[33] Cardiff were struggling after the goal with a number of their players suffering from cramp. Nevertheless, they had a chance in the 111th minute, when a Gunnarsson long throw was only half-cleared by Liverpool, but they were unable to convert the chance.[34] Towards the end of the half Cardiff began to exert more pressure on Liverpool. Turner, who had been moved into the striker position won a corner for Cardiff, which was punched away by Reina for a throw-in.[34] Cardiff won another from the throw, which found Kiss, whose shot was cleared off the line of the Liverpool goal by Kuyt for another corner.[35] The subsequent corner was headed on by Gunnarsson to Turner, who beat Kuyt to the ball and put his shot past Reina into the Liverpool goal to level the score at 2–2. Turner was shown a yellow card for removing his shirt during the celebration of the goal.[33] Liverpool won a corner with a minute remaining but they were unable to score and the referee brought extra time to an end with the scores level, resulting in a penalty shoot-out.[34]

Penalty shoot-out edit

Liverpool were the first team to take a penalty, but Gerrard's effort was saved by Heaton. Cardiff's first penalty was taken by Miller, but he also missed with his shot hitting the post.[33] Adam took the next penalty for Liverpool, he also missed, placing his shot over the Cardiff goal.[34] Cowie took the next penalty for Cardiff and scored to give them a 1–0 lead. Liverpool also scored with their next penalty courtesy of Kuyt to level the shoot-out at 1–1.[35] Gestede was next for Cardiff, but his penalty hit the post. Liverpool took the lead in the shoot-out when Downing converted his penalty.[34] Whittingham was next for Cardiff and he scored to level the shoot-out at 2–2.[33] Johnson took the next penalty for Liverpool and scored, to give Liverpool a 3–2 lead and leave Cardiff needing to score or Liverpool would win. The Cardiff penalty was taken by Anthony Gerrard, but he missed his penalty, which meant Liverpool won the shoot-out 3–2 and won their eighth League Cup.[35]

Details edit

Cardiff City  2–2 (a.e.t.)  Liverpool
Mason   19'
Turner   118'
Report
[35]
Škrtel   60'
Kuyt   108'
Penalties
Miller  
Cowie  
Gestede  
Whittingham  
Gerrard  
2–3   Gerrard
  Adam
  Kuyt
  Downing
  Johnson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cardiff City
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liverpool
GK 22   Tom Heaton
RB 2   Kevin McNaughton   106'
CB 5   Mark Hudson (c)   99'
CB 25   Ben Turner   119'
LB 3   Andrew Taylor
RM 8   Don Cowie
CM 7   Peter Whittingham
CM 17   Aron Gunnarsson
LM 20   Joe Mason   91'
SS 9   Kenny Miller
CF 15   Rudy Gestede
Substitutes:
GK 1   David Marshall
DF 6   Anthony Gerrard   99'
DF 18   Lee Naylor
MF 4   Filip Kiss   98'   91'
MF 11   Craig Conway
MF 23   Darcy Blake   106'
FW 10   Robert Earnshaw
Manager:
  Malky Mackay
 
GK 25   Pepe Reina
RB 2   Glen Johnson
CB 37   Martin Škrtel
CB 5   Daniel Agger   86'
LB 3   José Enrique
CM 8   Steven Gerrard (c)
CM 26   Charlie Adam
RW 14   Jordan Henderson   52'   58'
AM 7   Luis Suárez
LW 19   Stewart Downing
CF 9   Andy Carroll   103'
Substitutes:
GK 32   Doni
DF 23   Jamie Carragher   86'
DF 34   Martin Kelly
MF 11   Maxi Rodríguez
MF 20   Jay Spearing
FW 18   Dirk Kuyt   103'
FW 39   Craig Bellamy   58'
Manager:
  Kenny Dalglish

Man of the match

Match officials

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Seven named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

Statistics edit

Overall[35]
Statistic Cardiff Liverpool
Total shots 11 39
Shots on target 7 19
Ball possession 47% 53%
Corner kicks 3 19
Fouls committed 11 14
Offsides 1 5
Yellow cards 2 1
Red cards 0 0

Post-match edit

 
The Liverpool players celebrating their victory after the trophy presentation

Liverpool's victory meant they won the trophy for the eighth time, extending their record number of victories in the competition. Midfielder Stewart Downing was awarded the Alan Hardaker Trophy as the man of the match.[1] Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was delighted to have won the League Cup and was adamant that the club would continue to win trophies: "Although we have won something today, that is not us finished, we don't want to stop here. We want to keep going. We've won it and we are going to really enjoy it. I know how much the players have enjoyed it and it gives you a wee flavour to come back and do it again." The victory meant that Dalglish became the seventh manager to win all three major domestic trophies in English football.[36] Goalscorer Dirk Kuyt was equally delighted to have won the competition: "We wanted this so desperately, this is why I came to Anfield. To get my first medal is great." Meanwhile, captain Steven Gerrard had mixed emotions, due to his cousin Anthony Gerrard missing the deciding penalty: "One of Anthony or I was going to be sad, one was going to be celebrating. It happens. I've got mixed emotions at the moment because I feel for Anthony and Cardiff."[37]

Cardiff manager Malky Mackay was proud of his players despite their defeat: "We wanted to come here and win today but the players have done the club proud, I think today we were playing against a top team and I think we have got a lot to be proud of."[38] Anthony Gerrard, who missed the decisive penalty took to Twitter to apologise to Cardiff fans stating that the miss would "...haunt me for the rest of my days!" Despite Gerrard's apology, Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton was adamant that none of the players should take the blame for the defeat: "There is definitely no blame attached to any of the lads who missed. They all had the strength of character to stand up and take a penalty in front of 90,000 people and the world watching in a pressure situation. They should be credited and congratulated for taking them. Sadly, it wasn’t our day.”[39]

Liverpool's first match after the final was against Arsenal, a match the club needed to win to stay in touch with the top four. Two goals from Robin van Persie, after Liverpool had scored in the first half meant that Liverpool lost 2–1 and were 10 points behind the team in 4th place, which would ensure qualification for the UEFA Champions League the following season.[40] Liverpool's league form continued to falter after the final; they won four of their last thirteen matches and ended the season in eighth place.[41] Despite their poor league form, Liverpool reached the final of the FA Cup against Chelsea. But they were unable to win a second trophy and lost 2–1.[42] Cardiff played West Ham United in their first match after the final, which they lost 2–0.[43] Despite the loss, they only needed to win one more in their remaining thirteen matches to finish in 6th place and qualify for the Championship playoffs.[44] They faced third placed West Ham United, in the playoffs, which were contested over two-legs, with one at each team's home ground. Cardiff were unable to secure a second Wembley final, as West Ham United won 5–0 on aggregate.[45]

References edit

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  43. ^ Shuttleworth, Peter (4 March 2012). "Cardiff 0–2 West Ham". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  44. ^ . BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  45. ^ "West Ham 3–0 Cardiff (5–0 agg)". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.

2012, football, league, final, football, match, between, cardiff, city, liverpool, february, 2012, wembley, stadium, london, final, match, 2011, football, league, 52nd, season, football, league, football, competition, teams, premier, league, football, league, . The 2012 Football League Cup final was a football match between Cardiff City and Liverpool on 26 February 2012 at Wembley Stadium London It was the final match of the 2011 12 Football League Cup the 52nd season of the Football League Cup a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League Cardiff were appearing in their first final while Liverpool were appearing in the final for the eleventh time they had previously won seven and lost three finals 2012 Football League Cup finalMatch programme coverEvent2011 12 Football League CupCardiff City Liverpool2 2After extra time Liverpool won 3 2 on penaltiesDate26 February 2012 2012 02 26 VenueWembley Stadium LondonMan of the MatchStewart Downing 1 RefereeMark Clattenburg County Durham 2 Attendance89 041 3 WeatherPartly cloudy10 C 50 F 20112013 As Cardiff were in the Football League they played one more round than Liverpool who received a bye in the first round Therefore Cardiff progressed through six rounds to reach the final whereas Liverpool progressed through five Matches up to the semi final were contested on a one off basis with the exception of the semi finals which were contested over two legs with a match at each team s home ground Both Liverpool and Cardiff s matches were close affairs their biggest margins of victory was by two goals Liverpool beat Manchester City to reach the final whereas Cardiff progressed via a penalty shoot out against Crystal Palace Watched by a crowd of 89 041 Cardiff took the lead in the first half when Joe Mason scored The score remained the same through half time until Liverpool equalised in the 60th minute when Martin Skrtel scored With the score 1 1 at full time the match went to extra time as neither side were able to score a second goal The first half of extra time was goalless but three minutes into the second half Liverpool took the lead when Dirk Kuyt scored However two minutes before the end of extra time Cardiff equalised to make the score 2 2 courtesy of a goal from Ben Turner With the score at 2 2 at the end of extra time the match went to a penalty shoot out Despite missing their first two penalties Liverpool won the shoot out 3 2 to win the League Cup for a record eighth time Liverpool s manager Kenny Dalglish stated in the aftermath that the victory would lead to more trophies The club reached the 2012 FA Cup final but were beaten 2 1 by Chelsea Their league form faltered after the victory and they finished the season in 8th place Despite this victory in the final ensured Liverpool had qualified for the 2012 13 UEFA Europa League Cardiff manager Malky Mackay was proud of his team despite their defeat They finished the season in 6th place in the 2011 12 Football League Championship reaching the playoffs where they were beaten by West Ham United over two legs Contents 1 Route to the final 1 1 Cardiff City 1 2 Liverpool 2 Match 2 1 Background 2 2 First half 2 3 Second half 2 4 Extra time 2 5 Penalty shoot out 2 6 Details 2 7 Statistics 3 Post match 4 ReferencesRoute to the final editMain article 2011 12 Football League Cup Cardiff City edit nbsp Cardiff City fans during the finalRound Opponents Score1st Oxford United a 3 1 a e t 2nd Huddersfield Town h 5 3 a e t 3rd Leicester City h 2 2 7 6 pen 4th Burnley h 1 05th Blackburn Rovers h 2 0SF Crystal Palace a 0 1Crystal Palace h 1 0Cardiff entered the 2011 12 Football League Cup in the first round where they faced Oxford United The match played at the Kassam Stadium saw Cardiff take the lead in the 10th minute when Craig Conway scored Oxford equalised 20 minutes later courtesy of a Simon Clist goal Neither side was able to score a winning goal during the remainder of the match which went into extra time at 1 1 Two goals from Peter Whittingham and Nathaniel Jarvis secured a 3 1 victory for Cardiff 4 Their opponents in the second round were Huddersfield Town Two goals in the first 16 minutes courtesy of Gabor Gyepes and Jon Parkin gave Cardiff an early 2 0 lead which they held until the 55th minute when Huddersfield reduced the deficit to 2 1 courtesy of a Jordan Rhodes goal Daniel Ward equalised for Huddersfield in the 69th minute before Rhodes scored his second goal of the match to give Huddersfield a 3 2 lead in the 87th minute Cardiff equalised two minutes into stoppage time when Don Cowie headed the ball in from close range With the score at 3 3 after 90 minutes the match went to extra time A goal each from Conway and Cowie gave Cardiff a 5 3 victory and progression to the third round 5 Leicester City were the opponents in the third round Cardiff playing at their home ground the Cardiff City Stadium took the lead in the 32nd minute when Cowie scored Leicester equalised seven minutes later when Steve Howard scored from close range Leicester then took the lead in the 65th minute courtesy of a Lloyd Dyer goal Cardiff equalised when Rudy Gestede with nine minutes of the match remaining The score remained 2 2 until full time and throughout extra time which mean the match would be decided by a penalty shoot out Cardiff won the shoot out 7 6 to progress to the fourth round 6 Cardiff were drawn at home against Burnley in the fourth round They won the match 1 0 courtesy of a Joe Mason goal in the first half The result was the first time in the competition Cardiff s match did not go into extra time and it was the first they had reached the quarter finals of the League Cup since 1965 7 Their opponents in the quarter finals were Blackburn Rovers Two goals from Kenny Miller and Anthony Gerrard secured a 2 0 victory for Cardiff and their progression to the semi finals 8 Crystal Palace were Cardiff s opponents in the semi final which was played over two legs The first leg was played at Palace s home ground Selhurst Park Cardiff started the match the better of the two sides but were unable to convert their chances Palace took the lead in the 43rd minute when Anthony Gardner headed in Darren Ambrose s cross Neither side scored again and the match ended 1 0 9 The second leg at the Cardiff City Stadium started well for Cardiff when they went ahead in the seventh minute after an own goal from Palace defender Gardner which levelled the aggregate score at 1 1 Palace were reduced to ten men in the second half when Paddy McCarthy was sent off Despite their numerical advantage Cardiff were unable to a second goal during the 90 minutes and extra time and the tie went to a penalty shoot out Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton saved two penalties as Cardiff won the shoot out 3 1 to progress to their first League Cup final 10 Liverpool edit nbsp Liverpool fans during the finalRound Opponents Score2nd Exeter City a 3 13rd Brighton amp Hove Albion a 2 14th Stoke City a 2 15th Chelsea a 2 0SF Manchester City a 1 0Manchester City h 2 2Liverpool entered the competition in the second round as one of the twelve teams from the Premier League who were not involved in European competition during the season 11 They were drawn against Exeter City in the second round The match played at Exeter s home ground St James Park was won by Liverpool goals from Luis Suarez Maxi Rodriguez and Andy Carroll helped the team win 3 1 12 Liverpool s opponents in the third round were Brighton amp Hove Albion The match was played at Brighton s home ground the Falmer Stadium Liverpool took the lead in the 7th minute when Craig Bellamy scored Dirk Kuyt extended the lead in the second half scoring in the 82nd minute Brighton pulled a goal back courtesy of an Ashley Barnes penalty kick but were unable to score an equaliser the match finished 2 1 to Liverpool 13 Stoke City were Liverpool s opponents in the fourth round The match held at Stoke s home ground the Britannia Stadium saw Stoke take the lead towards the end of the first half when Kenwyne Jones scored Liverpool equalised in the 54th minute courtesy of a goal from Suarez and he scored the winner in the 84th minute to give Liverpool a 2 1 victory and a place in the fifth round 14 Liverpool were drawn against Chelsea in the subsequent round At Stamford Bridge Carroll missed a penalty in a goalless first half Despite this Liverpool scored twice after the interval courtesy of goals from Maxi and Martin Kelly They won the match 2 0 to reach the semi finals 15 Liverpool were drawn against Manchester City in the semi finals which were held over two legs The first leg was at City s home ground the Etihad stadium Liverpool won the match 1 0 courtesy of a Steven Gerrard penalty 16 The second leg was held at Liverpool s home ground Anfield City took the lead in the first half when Nigel de Jong scored ten minutes later Gerrard equalised when he scored a penalty At half time the score was 1 1 with Liverpool leading 2 1 on aggregate City took the lead in the match when Edin Dzeko scored in the 67th minute The goal meant the aggregate score was 2 2 but City would progress to the final if the score remained the same due to the away goals rule Liverpool needed to find an equaliser and seven minutes after Dzeko s goal they did when Bellamy scored City tried to score an equaliser but to no avail and the match finished 2 2 with Liverpool progressing to the final courtesy of a 3 2 aggregate victory 17 Match editBackground edit nbsp The Liverpool and Cardiff players lining up before the start of the match Cardiff were appearing in their first League Cup final they had previously reached the semi final of the competition in the 1965 66 season when they were beaten by West Ham United 5 1 on aggregate They were also the first team from outside the Premier League to reach the final since 2001 when Birmingham City lost to Liverpool 18 Liverpool were appearing in their eleventh final they had won seven 1981 1982 1983 1984 1995 2001 2003 and lost three 1978 1987 2005 The last meeting between the two teams was in the 2007 08 Football League Cup on 31 October 2007 Liverpool won 2 1 to progress to the fifth round 19 This was the fourth time in as many years that Cardiff City had played at Wembley Stadium 20 They played at the stadium twice during the 2007 08 FA Cup they beat Barnsley 1 0 in the semi final before losing 1 0 to Portsmouth in the final 21 Their last match at the stadium was the 2010 Championship play off final against Blackpool which they lost 3 2 22 The final represented the first time Liverpool had visited the new Wembley Stadium their previous appearances in the final in 2001 2003 and 2005 had been played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while Wembley was being rebuilt Their last visit to Wembley was in 1996 when they reached the final of the FA Cup match they lost 1 0 to Manchester United at the old Wembley Stadium 23 A week before the final Cardiff played Ipswich Town in the 2011 12 Football League Championship it was their last match before the final which they lost 3 0 24 Cardiff had a few injury concerns ahead of the final Captain Mark Hudson had a calf problem while midfielder Stephen McPhail had missed Cardiff s last four matches as he was suffering from Sjogren s syndrome an immune system disorder Goalkeeper Heaton was also a doubt with a knock on his ankle but he was considered likely to start the match 25 Cardiff manager Malky Mackay acknowledged that Liverpool went into the match as favourites but he was confident his team could provide a shock Obviously we are underdogs but we have a chance in the final Maybe only a one in 10 chance but that s still a chance if you turn up motivated fit and organised and I think I can promise that 26 Liverpool s last match before the final was against Brighton amp Hove Albion in the FA Cup which they won 6 1 27 Despite the margin of victory Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was adamant that the result meant nothing in regards to the final Defeating Brighton has got us to the next round but it doesn t really help us in the Carling Cup we ve got a cup final but we won t get carried away Despite missing the match against Brighton Dalglish was confident that Daniel Agger and Craig Bellamy would be fit for the final 28 Going into the match Liverpool had not won a trophy since they beat West Ham United in the 2006 FA Cup Final Dalglish stated that victory means a lot to me more importantly it means a lot to a lot of people who have had to endure a few years when we ve not been to Wembley 29 Both clubs received an allocation of approximately 31 000 tickets Cardiff fans would be housed in the East End of the stadium while Liverpool fans were allocated the West End of the stadium 30 Ticket prices were increased from last year s final with the most expensive tickets costing 90 up 4 from the previous year The least expensive tickets cost 40 which was 2 more than last year 30 31 It was decided that before the match started national anthems would not be played This decision was made to avoid spectators jeering the anthems as happened during the 2008 FA Cup Final between Portsmouth and Cardiff 32 First half edit nbsp Cardiff and Liverpool players compete to win possession of the ball from a throw inCardiff set up in a 4 4 1 1 formation with Rudy Gestede in the striker position supported by Kenny Miller Liverpool lined up in a 4 2 3 1 formation with Andy Carroll starting as the lone striker with Luis Suarez playing behind him and Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing either side 33 Cardiff kicked off but Liverpool had the first chance of the match Steven Gerrard passed the ball to Stewart Downing on the left hand side of the pitch he passed to Glen Johnson whose shot hit the crossbar the ball rebounded to Gerrard but he sent his shot over the Cardiff goal 33 Liverpool had the best of the opening minutes of the match with Cardiff unable to keep possession of the ball 34 Liverpool had another chance in the sixth minute Downing went past Cardiff defender Kevin McNaughton down the left of the pitch and crossed the ball into the penalty area which was cleared for a corner kick The resulting corner found Andy Carroll but his header was deflected out for another corner which was caught by Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton 34 Cardiff began to exert themselves in the match and had their first chance in the tenth minute Peter Whittingham and Aron Gunnarsson exchanged the ball before it was passed to Rudy Gestede who found Kenny Miller in the Liverpool penalty area however his resulting shot went over the Liverpool goal 33 Carroll had a chance to score in the 19th minute but his header was saved by Heaton Cardiff immediately went on the attack and scored the first goal of the match Martin Skrtel s clearance from McNaughton s initial cross went back to the Cardiff player who passed to Miller he passed the ball to Joe Mason who had run onto the pass from the right hand side of the pitch His subsequent shot went through the legs of Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina and into the Liverpool goal to give Cardiff a 1 0 lead 34 Liverpool responded by pushing men forward in an attempt to level the score The first chance after Cardiff s goal saw defender Daniel Agger advance from his own half towards the Cardiff goal but his shot from 30 yards 27 m was blocked and went out for a throw in 33 Liverpool had another chance from a similar distance a few minutes later but Carroll sent his shot over the crossbar 35 Liverpool had a penalty appeal turned down in the 32nd minute when Ben Turner was adjudged not to have handled the ball Immediately afterwards Johnson s cross was cleared by Mark Hudson the ball fell to Charlie Adam who sent his shot just wide of the Cardiff goal 34 Just before half time Liverpool had a chance to equalise but Agger s header from Gerrard s free kick was saved by Heaton 33 Second half edit Liverpool had the first attack of the half when they were awarded a free kick for foul on Jose Enrique The subsequent free kick was cleared by Whittingham only as far as Henderson whose shot was wide of the Cardiff goal 35 Two minutes later Cardiff had a chance to extend their lead Whittingham went past Agger and passed to Don Cowie who back heeled the ball to Miller his subsequent shot went wide of the Liverpool goal 34 Henderson received the first yellow card of the match after his tackle on Mason was deemed to be too high 33 Cardiff had another chance in the 56th minute a Gunnarsson long throw was punched away by Reina but the clearance fell to Hudson who headed the ball into the Liverpool penalty area to Gestede his subsequent header was blocked by the Liverpool goalkeeper 34 Liverpool made the first substitution of the match a minute later when Henderson was replaced by Craig Bellamy 35 Two minutes after the substitution Liverpool equalised Downing took a corner kick which was headed on by Carroll to Suarez whose header hit the post it rebounded to Skrtel his shot went into the Cardiff goal to level the match at 1 1 33 Cardiff had the first chance after Liverpool s goal but Mason s shot was saved by Reina 33 The minutes after Skrtel s goal saw Liverpool dominate but they were unable to score a second goal despite a number of chances 34 Liverpool conceded a free kick 22 yards 20 m from their goal after Miller was fouled Whittingham s subsequent shot hit Liverpool players and went out for a Cardiff throw in The resulting throw from Gunnarsson was flicked on by Gestede but it was headed away by Liverpool 34 Minutes later Cardiff had a chance to score but Turner s header from Cowie s pass went wide of the Liverpool goal 35 Two minutes later Liverpool had another chance to score but Charlie Adam s shot was saved by Heaton 33 Liverpool made their second substitution of the match in the 87th minute when Jamie Carragher replaced Agger 35 Two minutes before the end of the match Cardiff had a chance to score Liverpool conceded a free kick which was passed to Miller who was in space but his went over the Liverpool goal 33 With the scores level at 1 1 the match went into extra time after the referee brought an end to the 90 minutes of play 35 Extra time edit nbsp Players from both sides taking a break during the changeover of ends in extra timeBefore the start of extra time Cardiff made their first substitution of the match goalscorer Mason was replaced by Filip Kiss 35 Liverpool had the first chance to score in extra time but Suarez s header was cleared off the line by Andrew Taylor 34 Cardiff appeared to be playing for a penalty shoot out as they were positioning the majority of their team behind the ball and in front of their goal 33 Cardiff captain Hudson was replaced in the 98th minute by Anthony Gerrard after suffering from cramp 34 Liverpool had another chance in the 101st minute when a pass by Gerrard was cleared for a corner kick by Taylor The resulting corner was met by Carroll but his header was wide of the Cardiff goal Immediately after the attack Carroll was replaced by Dirk Kuyt 33 Just before the end of the first half of extra time Liverpool had another chance Bellamy went past two men down the left hand side of the pitch before exchanging passes with Kuyt however his subsequent shot went wide 34 Just after the start of the second half of extra time Cardiff made their final substitution replacing McNaughton with Darcy Blake Two minutes later Kuyt made a run from deep in the Liverpool half his initial shot was blocked but the ball rebounded towards him As the ball came back to him he shot again and the ball went past Heaton and into the Cardiff goal to give Liverpool a 2 1 lead 33 Cardiff were struggling after the goal with a number of their players suffering from cramp Nevertheless they had a chance in the 111th minute when a Gunnarsson long throw was only half cleared by Liverpool but they were unable to convert the chance 34 Towards the end of the half Cardiff began to exert more pressure on Liverpool Turner who had been moved into the striker position won a corner for Cardiff which was punched away by Reina for a throw in 34 Cardiff won another from the throw which found Kiss whose shot was cleared off the line of the Liverpool goal by Kuyt for another corner 35 The subsequent corner was headed on by Gunnarsson to Turner who beat Kuyt to the ball and put his shot past Reina into the Liverpool goal to level the score at 2 2 Turner was shown a yellow card for removing his shirt during the celebration of the goal 33 Liverpool won a corner with a minute remaining but they were unable to score and the referee brought extra time to an end with the scores level resulting in a penalty shoot out 34 Penalty shoot out edit Liverpool were the first team to take a penalty but Gerrard s effort was saved by Heaton Cardiff s first penalty was taken by Miller but he also missed with his shot hitting the post 33 Adam took the next penalty for Liverpool he also missed placing his shot over the Cardiff goal 34 Cowie took the next penalty for Cardiff and scored to give them a 1 0 lead Liverpool also scored with their next penalty courtesy of Kuyt to level the shoot out at 1 1 35 Gestede was next for Cardiff but his penalty hit the post Liverpool took the lead in the shoot out when Downing converted his penalty 34 Whittingham was next for Cardiff and he scored to level the shoot out at 2 2 33 Johnson took the next penalty for Liverpool and scored to give Liverpool a 3 2 lead and leave Cardiff needing to score or Liverpool would win The Cardiff penalty was taken by Anthony Gerrard but he missed his penalty which meant Liverpool won the shoot out 3 2 and won their eighth League Cup 35 Details edit 26 February 201216 00 GMTCardiff City nbsp 2 2 a e t nbsp LiverpoolMason nbsp 19 Turner nbsp 118 Report 35 Skrtel nbsp 60 Kuyt nbsp 108 PenaltiesMiller nbsp Cowie nbsp Gestede nbsp Whittingham nbsp Gerrard nbsp 2 3 nbsp Gerrard nbsp Adam nbsp Kuyt nbsp Downing nbsp JohnsonWembley Stadium LondonAttendance 89 041 3 Referee Mark Clattenburg County Durham 2 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Cardiff City nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp LiverpoolGK 22 nbsp Tom HeatonRB 2 nbsp Kevin McNaughton nbsp 106 CB 5 nbsp Mark Hudson c nbsp 99 CB 25 nbsp Ben Turner nbsp 119 LB 3 nbsp Andrew TaylorRM 8 nbsp Don CowieCM 7 nbsp Peter WhittinghamCM 17 nbsp Aron GunnarssonLM 20 nbsp Joe Mason nbsp 91 SS 9 nbsp Kenny MillerCF 15 nbsp Rudy GestedeSubstitutes GK 1 nbsp David MarshallDF 6 nbsp Anthony Gerrard nbsp 99 DF 18 nbsp Lee NaylorMF 4 nbsp Filip Kiss nbsp 98 nbsp 91 MF 11 nbsp Craig ConwayMF 23 nbsp Darcy Blake nbsp 106 FW 10 nbsp Robert EarnshawManager nbsp Malky Mackay nbsp GK 25 nbsp Pepe ReinaRB 2 nbsp Glen JohnsonCB 37 nbsp Martin SkrtelCB 5 nbsp Daniel Agger nbsp 86 LB 3 nbsp Jose EnriqueCM 8 nbsp Steven Gerrard c CM 26 nbsp Charlie AdamRW 14 nbsp Jordan Henderson nbsp 52 nbsp 58 AM 7 nbsp Luis SuarezLW 19 nbsp Stewart DowningCF 9 nbsp Andy Carroll nbsp 103 Substitutes GK 32 nbsp DoniDF 23 nbsp Jamie Carragher nbsp 86 DF 34 nbsp Martin KellyMF 11 nbsp Maxi RodriguezMF 20 nbsp Jay SpearingFW 18 nbsp Dirk Kuyt nbsp 103 FW 39 nbsp Craig Bellamy nbsp 58 Manager nbsp Kenny DalglishMan of the match Stewart Downing Liverpool 1 Match officials Assistant referees Simon Beck Bedfordshire 2 Mick McDonough Northumberland 2 Fourth official Anthony Taylor Greater Manchester 2 Match rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra time if necessary Penalty shoot out if scores still level Seven named substitutes Maximum of three substitutions Statistics edit Overall 35 Statistic Cardiff LiverpoolTotal shots 11 39Shots on target 7 19Ball possession 47 53 Corner kicks 3 19Fouls committed 11 14Offsides 1 5Yellow cards 2 1Red cards 0 0Post match edit nbsp The Liverpool players celebrating their victory after the trophy presentationLiverpool s victory meant they won the trophy for the eighth time extending their record number of victories in the competition Midfielder Stewart Downing was awarded the Alan Hardaker Trophy as the man of the match 1 Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was delighted to have won the League Cup and was adamant that the club would continue to win trophies Although we have won something today that is not us finished we don t want to stop here We want to keep going We ve won it and we are going to really enjoy it I know how much the players have enjoyed it and it gives you a wee flavour to come back and do it again The victory meant that Dalglish became the seventh manager to win all three major domestic trophies in English football 36 Goalscorer Dirk Kuyt was equally delighted to have won the competition We wanted this so desperately this is why I came to Anfield To get my first medal is great Meanwhile captain Steven Gerrard had mixed emotions due to his cousin Anthony Gerrard missing the deciding penalty One of Anthony or I was going to be sad one was going to be celebrating It happens I ve got mixed emotions at the moment because I feel for Anthony and Cardiff 37 Cardiff manager Malky Mackay was proud of his players despite their defeat We wanted to come here and win today but the players have done the club proud I think today we were playing against a top team and I think we have got a lot to be proud of 38 Anthony Gerrard who missed the decisive penalty took to Twitter to apologise to Cardiff fans stating that the miss would haunt me for the rest of my days Despite Gerrard s apology Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton was adamant that none of the players should take the blame for the defeat There is definitely no blame attached to any of the lads who missed They all had the strength of character to stand up and take a penalty in front of 90 000 people and the world watching in a pressure situation They should be credited and congratulated for taking them Sadly it wasn t our day 39 Liverpool s first match after the final was against Arsenal a match the club needed to win to stay in touch with the top four Two goals from Robin van Persie after Liverpool had scored in the first half meant that Liverpool lost 2 1 and were 10 points behind the team in 4th place which would ensure qualification for the UEFA Champions League the following season 40 Liverpool s league form continued to falter after the final they won four of their last thirteen matches and ended the season in eighth place 41 Despite their poor league form Liverpool reached the final of the FA Cup against Chelsea But they were unable to win a second trophy and lost 2 1 42 Cardiff played West Ham United in their first match after the final which they lost 2 0 43 Despite the loss they only needed to win one more in their remaining thirteen matches to finish in 6th place and qualify for the Championship playoffs 44 They faced third placed West Ham United in the playoffs which were contested over two legs with one at each team s home ground Cardiff were unable to secure a second Wembley final as West Ham United won 5 0 on aggregate 45 References edit a b c Alan Hardaker Trophy Winners The Football League 26 February 2012 Archived from the original on 21 April 2012 Retrieved 8 May 2012 a b c d e Clattenburg to oversee Carling Cup Final The Football League 1 February 2012 Archived from the original on 14 January 2013 Retrieved 1 February 2012 a b Carling Cup Final Carling Archived from the original on 2 March 2012 Retrieved 26 February 2012 Oxford 1 3 Cardiff BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 10 August 2011 Retrieved 15 April 2012 Cardiff 5 3 Huddersfield BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 23 August 2011 Retrieved 15 April 2012 Cardiff 2 2 Leicester 7 6 pens BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 21 September 2011 Retrieved 15 April 2012 Cardiff 1 0 Burnley BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 25 October 2011 Retrieved 15 April 2012 Cardiff 2 0 Blackburn BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 29 November 2011 Retrieved 15 April 2012 Magowan Alastair 10 January 2012 Crystal Palace 1 0 Cardiff BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 15 April 2012 Cardiff 1 0 Crystal Palace agg 1 1 pen 3 1 BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 24 January 2012 Retrieved 15 April 2012 Carling Cup second round draw BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 11 August 2011 Retrieved 16 April 2012 Exeter 1 3 Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 24 August 2011 Retrieved 16 April 2012 McNulty Phil 21 September 2011 Brighton 1 2 Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 16 April 2012 Stoke 1 2 Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 26 October 2011 Retrieved 16 April 2012 McNulty Phil 29 November 2011 Chelsea 0 2 Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 16 April 2012 McNulty Phil 12 January 2012 Manchester City 0 1 Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 16 April 2012 McNulty Phil 25 January 2012 Liverpool 2 2 Manchester City 3 2 agg BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 16 April 2012 Rostance Tom 24 January 2012 Tuesday football as it happened BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 19 April 2012 Liverpool 2 1 Cardiff BBC Sport BBC British Broadcasting Corporation 31 October 2007 Retrieved 20 February 2012 Wembley excites Cardiff chief Sky Sports BSkyB 25 January 2012 Retrieved 25 January 2012 McNulty Phil 17 May 2008 Portsmouth 1 0 Cardiff BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 19 April 2012 Fletcher Paul 22 May 2010 Blackpool 3 2 Cardiff BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 19 April 2012 Gibbs Thom 24 February 2012 Carling Cup final Liverpool s return to Wembley 16 years on from the Spice Boys cream suits and all that The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 19 April 2012 Ipswich 3 0 Cardiff BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 18 February 2012 Retrieved 21 April 2012 Ley John 24 February 2012 Cardiff City v Liverpool match preview The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 21 April 2012 Wilson Paul 25 February 2012 Malky Mackay has Cardiff dreaming of a happy return down Wembley way The Guardian Retrieved 21 April 2012 Johnston Neil 19 February 2012 Liverpool 6 1 Brighton BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 19 April 2012 Liverpool won t get carried away says Dalglish BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 19 February 2012 Retrieved 19 April 2012 Kenny Dalglish keen to end Liverpool trophy drought BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 22 February 2012 Retrieved 19 April 2012 a b Carling Cup final ticket details The Football League 3 February 2012 Archived from the original on 24 April 2012 Retrieved 20 April 2012 Carling Cup final ticket details The Football League 27 January 2011 Archived from the original on 31 January 2011 Retrieved 20 April 2012 Carling Cup final 2012 no national anthems to be played ahead of Liverpool s clash with Cardiff City The Daily Telegraph 23 February 2012 Retrieved 21 April 2012 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gibbs Thom 27 February 2012 Cardiff City v Liverpool live Daily Telegraph Retrieved 27 February 2012 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Bagachi Rob 26 February 2012 Carling Cup final Cardiff City v Liverpool guardian co uk Retrieved 29 April 2012 a b c d e f g h i j k l Bevan Chris 26 February 2012 Cardiff 2 2 Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 29 April 2012 Bevan Chris 26 February 2012 Kenny Dalglish believes Carling Cup win can inspire Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 20 May 2012 Liverpool desperate for Carling Cup win Kuyt BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 26 February 2012 Retrieved 20 May 2012 Malky Mackay proud of Cardiff despite Carling Cup final loss BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 26 February 2012 Retrieved 21 May 2012 Anthony Gerrard says Carling Cup penalty miss will haunt me forever The Daily Telegraph 27 February 2012 Retrieved 21 May 2012 Bevan Chris 3 March 2012 Liverpool 1 2 Arsenal BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 23 May 2012 Games for the 2011 2012 season LFC History Retrieved 23 May 2012 Chelsea 2 1 Liverpool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 5 May 2012 Retrieved 23 May 2012 Shuttleworth Peter 4 March 2012 Cardiff 0 2 West Ham BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 23 May 2012 The Npower Football League Championship Table BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 28 April 2012 Archived from the original on 7 May 2010 Retrieved 23 May 2012 West Ham 3 0 Cardiff 5 0 agg BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 7 May 2012 Retrieved 23 May 2012 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2012 Carling Cup Final Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2012 Football League Cup final amp oldid 1182445435, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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