1986–87 Football League Cup

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.

1986–87 Football League Cup
League Cup, Littlewoods Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Country England
 Wales
Teams92
Final positions
ChampionsArsenal (1st title)
Runner-upLiverpool
Tournament statistics
Top goal scorer(s)John Aldridge (6)

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

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First leg

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Aldershot 1–3 Fulham 26 August 1986
Blackpool 0–0 Preston North End 26 August 1986
Bournemouth 0–1 Bristol City 26 August 1986
Bristol Rovers 1–2 Reading 27 August 1986
Bury 2–1 Bolton Wanderers 26 August 1986
Cardiff City 5–4 Plymouth Argyle 26 August 1986
Carlisle United 1–0 Grimsby Town 2 September 1986
Chesterfield 0–2 Wrexham 26 August 1986
Colchester United 0–0 Peterborough United 26 August 1986
Derby County 0–1 Chester City 27 August 1986
Doncaster Rovers 1–1 Rotherham United 26 August 1986
Exeter City 0–0 Newport County 27 August 1986
Gillingham 1–0 Northampton Town 25 August 1986
Hartlepool United 1–1 Middlesbrough 26 August 1986
Hereford United 3–3 Swansea City 27 August 1986
Huddersfield Town 3–1 Halifax Town 26 August 1986
Orient 2–2 Cambridge United 26 August 1986
Notts County 1–3 Port Vale 26 August 1986
Rochdale 1–1 Burnley 26 August 1986
Scunthorpe United 2–0 Darlington 26 August 1986
Shrewsbury Town 0–0 Crewe Alexandra 26 August 1986
Southend United 1–0 Brentford 26 August 1986
Stockport County 2–1 Tranmere Rovers 26 August 1986
Sunderland 2–4 York City 26 August 1986
Swindon Town 3–0 Torquay United 26 August 1986
Walsall 1–0 Mansfield Town 26 August 1986
Wigan Athletic 1–3 Blackburn Rovers 26 August 1986
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–2 Lincoln City 26 August 1986

Second leg

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Home Team Score Away Team Date Agg
Blackburn Rovers 2–0 Wigan Athletic 2 September 1986 5–1
Bolton Wanderers 0–0 Bury 2 September 1986 1–2
Brentford 2–3 Southend United 2 September 1986 2–4
Bristol City 1–1[1] Bournemouth 2 September 1986 2–1
Burnley 1–3 Rochdale 2 September 1986 2–4
Cambridge United 1–0 Orient 2 September 1986 3–2
Chester City 1–2[2] Derby County 3 September 1986 2–2
Crewe Alexandra 0–4 Shrewsbury Town 2 September 1986 0–4
Darlington 1–2 Scunthorpe United 2 September 1986 1–4
Fulham 2–0 Aldershot 3 September 1986 5–1
Grimsby Town 2–0 Carlisle United 9 September 1986 2–1
Halifax Town 2–2[1] Huddersfield Town 2 September 1986 3–5
Lincoln City 0–1[1][3] Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 September 1986 2–2
Mansfield Town 2–4 Walsall 2 September 1986 2–5
Middlesbrough 2–0 Hartlepool United 2 September 1986 3–1
Newport County 1–0 Exeter City 2 September 1986 1–0
Northampton Town 2–2 Gillingham 3 September 1986 2–3
Peterborough United 2–0 Colchester United 3 September 1986 2–0
Plymouth Argyle 0–1 Cardiff City 2 September 1986 4–6
Port Vale 4–1 Notts County 3 September 1986 7–2
Preston North End 2–1 Blackpool 2 September 1986 2–1
Reading 4–0 Bristol Rovers 3 September 1986 6–1
Rotherham United 4–1 Doncaster Rovers 2 September 1986 5–2
Swansea City 5–1 Hereford United 2 September 1986 8–4
Torquay United 2–3 Swindon Town 2 September 1986 2–6
Tranmere Rovers 3–3 Stockport County 2 September 1986 4–5
Wrexham 2–2 Chesterfield 2 September 1986 4–2
York City 1–3[1][4] Sunderland 2 September 1986 5–5

Second round

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First leg

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Arsenal 2–0 Huddersfield Town 23 September 1986
Barnsley 2–3 Tottenham Hotspur 23 September 1986
Bradford City 2–0 Newcastle United 23 September 1986
Brighton & Hove Albion 0–0 Nottingham Forest 24 September 1986
Bristol City 2–2 Sheffield United 23 September 1986
Cambridge United 1–1 Wimbledon 23 September 1986
Charlton Athletic 3–1 Lincoln City 23 September 1986
Coventry City 3–2 Rotherham United 23 September 1986
Crystal Palace 0–0 Bury 24 September 1986
Derby County 4–1 West Bromwich Albion 24 September 1986
Everton 4–0 Newport County 24 September 1986
Hull City 1–0 Grimsby Town 23 September 1986
Liverpool 10–0 Fulham 23 September 1986
Manchester United 2–0 Port Vale 24 September 1986
Middlesbrough 2–2 Birmingham City 23 September 1986
Oldham Athletic 3–2 Leeds United 23 September 1986
Oxford United 6–0 Gillingham 24 September 1986
Peterborough United 0–0 Norwich City 24 September 1986
Preston North End 1–1 West Ham United 23 September 1986
Queens Park Rangers 2–1 Blackburn Rovers 23 September 1986
Reading 1–1 Aston Villa 24 September 1986
Scunthorpe United 1–2 Ipswich Town 23 September 1986
Sheffield Wednesday 3–0 Stockport County 23 September 1986
Shrewsbury Town 2–1 Stoke City 23 September 1986
Southampton 3–0 Swindon Town 23 September 1986
Southend United 0–0 Manchester City 23 September 1986
Swansea City 0–2 Leicester City 23 September 1986
Walsall 0–1 Millwall 7 October 1986
Watford 1–1 Rochdale 23 September 1986
Wrexham 1–2 Portsmouth 24 September 1986
York City 1–0 Chelsea 23 September 1986

Second leg

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Home Team Score Away Team Date Agg
Aston Villa 4–1 Reading 8 October 1986 5–2
Birmingham City 3–2[1] Middlesbrough 7 October 1986 5–4
Blackburn Rovers 2–2 Queens Park Rangers 7 October 1986 3–4
Bury 0–1 Crystal Palace 7 October 1986 0–1
Chelsea 3–0 York City 8 October 1986 3–1
Fulham 2–3 Liverpool 7 October 1986 2–13
Gillingham 1–1 Oxford United 7 October 1986 1–7
Grimsby Town 1–1 Hull City 7 October 1986 1–2
Huddersfield Town 1–1 Arsenal 7 October 1986 1–3
Ipswich Town 2–0 Scunthorpe United 7 October 1986 4–1
Leeds United 0–1 Oldham Athletic 8 October 1986 2–4
Leicester City 4–2 Swansea City 8 October 1986 6–2
Lincoln City 0–1 Charlton Athletic 8 October 1986 1–4
Manchester City 2–1 Southend United 8 October 1986 2–1
Millwall 3–2 Walsall 14 October 1986 4–2
Newcastle United 1–0 Bradford City 8 October 1986 1–2
Newport County 1–5 Everton 7 October 1986 1–9
Norwich City 1–0 Peterborough United 8 October 1986 1–0
Nottingham Forest 3–0 Brighton & Hove Albion 8 October 1986 3–0
Port Vale 2–5 Manchester United 7 October 1986 2–7
Portsmouth 2–0 Wrexham 7 October 1986 4–1
Rochdale 1–2 Watford 7 October 1986 2–3
Rotherham United 0–1 Coventry City 7 October 1986 2–4
Sheffield United 3–0 Bristol City 7 October 1986 5–2
Stockport County 0–7 Sheffield Wednesday 6 October 1986 0–10
Stoke City 0–0 Shrewsbury Town 8 October 1986 1–2
Swindon Town 0–0 Southampton 8 October 1986 0–3
Tottenham Hotspur 5–3 Barnsley 8 October 1986 8–5
West Bromwich Albion 0–1 Derby County 7 October 1986 1–5
West Ham United 4–1 Preston North End 7 October 1986 5–2
Wimbledon 2–2[1][5] Cambridge United 7 October 1986 3–3

Luton Town v Cardiff City

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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

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Ties

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Arsenal 3–1 Manchester City 28 October 1986
Bradford City 3–1 Portsmouth 29 October 1986
Cambridge United 1–0 Ipswich Town 28 October 1986
Cardiff City 2–1 Chelsea 28 October 1986
Charlton Athletic 1–0 Queens Park Rangers 28 October 1986
Coventry City 2–1 Oldham Athletic 28 October 1986
Crystal Palace 2–2 Nottingham Forest 29 October 1986
Derby County 1–1 Aston Villa 29 October 1986
Everton 4–0 Sheffield Wednesday 28 October 1986
Liverpool 4–1 Leicester City 29 October 1986
Manchester United 0–0 Southampton 29 October 1986
Norwich City 4–1 Millwall 29 October 1986
Oxford United 3–1 Sheffield United 29 October 1986
Shrewsbury Town 1–0 Hull City 28 October 1986
Tottenham Hotspur 5–0 Birmingham City 29 October 1986
Watford 2–3 West Ham United 29 October 1986

Replays

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Aston Villa 2–1 Derby County 4 November 1986
Nottingham Forest 1–0 Crystal Palace 5 November 1986
Southampton 4–1 Manchester United 4 November 1986

Fourth round

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Ties

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Arsenal 2–0 Charlton Athletic 18 November 1986
Bradford City 0–5 Nottingham Forest 19 November 1986
Cambridge United 1–3 Tottenham Hotspur 26 November 1986
Coventry City 0–0 Liverpool 19 November 1986
Norwich City 1–4 Everton 19 November 1986
Shrewsbury Town 1–0 Cardiff City 18 November 1986
Southampton 2–1 Aston Villa 18 November 1986
West Ham United 1–0 Oxford United 18 November 1986

Replay

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Liverpool 3–1 Coventry City 26 November 1986

Fifth Round

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Ties

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Arsenal 2–0 Nottingham Forest 21 January 1987
Everton 0–1 Liverpool 21 January 1987
Southampton 1–0 Shrewsbury Town 27 January 1987
West Ham United 1–1 Tottenham Hotspur 27 January 1987

Replay

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Tottenham Hotspur 5–0 West Ham United 2 February 1987

Semi-finals

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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

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Arsenal 0–1 Tottenham Hotspur 8 February 1987
Southampton 0–0 Liverpool 11 February 1987

Second leg

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Home Team Score Away Team Date Agg
Liverpool 3–0 Southampton 25 February 1987 3–0
Tottenham Hotspur 1–2[1] Arsenal 1 March 1987 2–2

Replay

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Home Team Score Away Team Date
Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 Arsenal 4 March 1987

Final

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Match details

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Arsenal2–1Liverpool
Nicholas   30', 83' Rush   23'
Attendance: 96,000

References

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General

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  • "English League Cup 1986/1987". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  • "England League Cup Full Results 1960–1996". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  • "English League Cup 1986/1987". Statto. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  • Dunk, Peter (20 August 1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. Queen Anne Press. pp. 447–457. ISBN 978-0-3561435-4-5. Retrieved 29 April 2020.

Specific

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g After Extra Time
  2. ^ Derby County won on the away goals rule
  3. ^ Lincoln City won on the away goals rule
  4. ^ York City won on the away goals rule
  5. ^ Cambridge United won on the away goals rule