1986–87 Football League Cup Explained

Football League Cup
Year:	1986–87
Other Titles:	League Cup, Littlewoods Challenge Cup
Country:
Num Teams:	92
Winners:	Arsenal (1st title)
Second:	Liverpool
Scoring Leader:	John Aldridge (6)
Prev Season:	1985–86
Next Season:	1987–88

The 1986–87 Football League Cup (known as the Littlewoods Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 27th season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs.

The competition began on 25 August 1986, and ended with the final on 5 April 1987. The final was played between Arsenal and Liverpool. The match, played in front of 96,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium, was won by Arsenal 2–1.

Luton Town were thrown out of the competition when they refused to allow Cardiff City fans to attend the match at Kenilworth Road. This was at the moment when club's then chairman, Conservative MP David Evans, tried to introduce a scheme effective from the start of 1986–87 banning all visiting supporters from the ground, and requiring home fans to carry identity cards when attending matches.

First round

First leg

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	1–3		26 August 1986
	0–0		26 August 1986
	0–1		26 August 1986
	1–2		27 August 1986
	2–1		26 August 1986
	5–4		26 August 1986
	1–0		2 September 1986
	0–2		26 August 1986
	0–0		26 August 1986
	0–1		27 August 1986
	1–1		26 August 1986
	0–0		27 August 1986
	1–0		25 August 1986
	1–1		26 August 1986
	3–3		27 August 1986
	3–1		26 August 1986
	2–2		26 August 1986
	1–3		26 August 1986
	1–1		26 August 1986
	2–0		26 August 1986
	0–0		26 August 1986
	1–0		26 August 1986
	2–1		26 August 1986
	2–4		26 August 1986
	3–0		26 August 1986
	1–0		26 August 1986
	1–3		26 August 1986
	1–2		26 August 1986

Second leg

width=175	Home Team	width=50	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date	width= 75	Agg
	2–0		2 September 1986	5–1
	0–0		2 September 1986	1–2
	2–3		2 September 1986	2–4
	1–1^[1]		2 September 1986	2–1
	1–3		2 September 1986	2–4
	1–0		2 September 1986	3–2
	1–2^[2]		3 September 1986	2–2
	0–4		2 September 1986	0–4
	1–2		2 September 1986	1–4
	2–0		3 September 1986	5–1
	2–0		9 September 1986	2–1
	2–2		2 September 1986	3–5
	0–1^[3]		2 September 1986	2–2
	2–4		2 September 1986	2–5
	2–0		2 September 1986	3–1
	1–0		2 September 1986	1–0
	2–2		3 September 1986	2–3
	2–0		3 September 1986	2–0
	0–1		2 September 1986	4–6
	4–1		3 September 1986	7–2
	2–1		2 September 1986	2–1
	4–0		3 September 1986	6–1
	4–1		2 September 1986	5–2
	5–1		2 September 1986	8–4
	2–3		2 September 1986	2–6
	3–3		2 September 1986	4–5
	2–2		2 September 1986	4–2
	1–3^[4]		2 September 1986	5–5

Second round

First leg

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	2–0		23 September 1986
	2–3		23 September 1986
	2–0		23 September 1986
	0–0		24 September 1986
	2–2		23 September 1986
	1–1		23 September 1986
	3–1		23 September 1986
	3–2		23 September 1986
	0–0		24 September 1986
	4–1		24 September 1986
	4–0		24 September 1986
	1–0		23 September 1986
	10–0		23 September 1986
	2–0		24 September 1986
	2–2		23 September 1986
	3–2		23 September 1986
	6–0		24 September 1986
	0–0		24 September 1986
	1–1		23 September 1986
	2–1		23 September 1986
	1–1		24 September 1986
	1–2		23 September 1986
	3–0		23 September 1986
	2–1		23 September 1986
	3–0		23 September 1986
	0–0		23 September 1986
	0–2		23 September 1986
	0–1		7 October 1986
	1–1		23 September 1986
	1–2		24 September 1986
	1–0		23 September 1986

Second leg

width=175	Home Team	width=50	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date	width= 75	Agg
	4–1		8 October 1986	5–2
	3–2		7 October 1986	5–4
	2–2		7 October 1986	3–4
	0–1		7 October 1986	0–1
	3–0		8 October 1986	3–1
	2–3		7 October 1986	2–13
	1–1		7 October 1986	1–7
	1–1		7 October 1986	1–2
	1–1		7 October 1986	1–3
	2–0		7 October 1986	4–1
	0–1		8 October 1986	2–4
	4–2		8 October 1986	6–2
	0–1		8 October 1986	1–4
	2–1		8 October 1986	2–1
	3–2		14 October 1986	4–2
	1–0		8 October 1986	1–2
	1–5		7 October 1986	1–9
	1–0		8 October 1986	1–0
	3–0		8 October 1986	3–0
	2–5		7 October 1986	2–7
	2–0		7 October 1986	4–1
	1–2		7 October 1986	2–3
	0–1		7 October 1986	2–4
	3–0		7 October 1986	5–2
	0–7		6 October 1986	0–10
	0–0		8 October 1986	1–2
	0–0		8 October 1986	0–3
	5–3		8 October 1986	8–5
	0–1		7 October 1986	1–5
	4–1		7 October 1986	5–2
	2–2^[5]		7 October 1986	3–3

Luton Town v Cardiff City

Luton Town were thrown out of the competition when they refused to allow Cardiff City fans to attend the match at Kenilworth Road.

This allowed Cardiff a bye into the Third Round.

Third round

Ties

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	3–1		28 October 1986
	3–1		29 October 1986
	1–0		28 October 1986
	2–1		28 October 1986
	1–0		28 October 1986
	2–1		28 October 1986
	2–2		29 October 1986
	1–1		29 October 1986
	4–0		28 October 1986
	4–1		29 October 1986
	0–0		29 October 1986
	4–1		29 October 1986
	3–1		29 October 1986
	1–0		28 October 1986
	5–0		29 October 1986
	2–3		29 October 1986

Replays

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	2–1		4 November 1986
	1–0		5 November 1986
	4–1		4 November 1986

Fourth round

Ties

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	2–0		18 November 1986
	0–5		19 November 1986
	1–3		26 November 1986
	0–0		19 November 1986
	1–4		19 November 1986
	1–0		18 November 1986
	2–1		18 November 1986
	1–0		18 November 1986

Replay

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	3–1		26 November 1986

Fifth Round

Ties

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	2–0		21 January 1987
	0–1		21 January 1987
	1–0		27 January 1987
	1–1		27 January 1987

Replay

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	5–0		2 February 1987

Semi-finals

North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were both in the league title race this season and the League Cup semi-final paired them together, where the scores were equal over two legs before Arsenal won the replay. Liverpool, four-time winners earlier in the decade, were held to a 0–0 draw at Southampton in the first leg of the other semi-final before triumphing 3–0 at Anfield.

First leg

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	0–1		8 February 1987
	0–0		11 February 1987

Second leg

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date	width= 75	Agg
	3–0		25 February 1987	3–0
	1–2		1 March 1987	2–2

Replay

width=175	Home Team	width=20	Score	width=175	Away Team	width= 125	Date
	1–2		4 March 1987

Final

See main article: 1987 Football League Cup Final.

Match details

References

General

Web site: English League Cup 1986/1987 . 17 January 2012 . Soccerbase.
Web site: England League Cup Full Results 1960–1996 . 17 January 2012 . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
Web site: English League Cup 1986/1987 . 17 January 2012 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064020/http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-cup/1986-1987/results/ . 4 March 2016 . dead . dmy-all .
Book: Dunk, Peter . Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 . 447–457 . Queen Anne Press . 20 August 1987 . registration . 978-0-3561435-4-5 . 29 April 2020.

Specific

Notes and References

After Extra Time
Derby County won on the away goals rule
Lincoln City won on the away goals rule
York City won on the away goals rule
Cambridge United won on the away goals rule