Chelsea's Highs and Lows in League Cup Finals

This season marks the 50th anniversary since Chelsea first won the League Cup.

The Blues defeated Leicester City 3-2 on aggregate in their two-legged final, becoming the first club from London to lift the trophy in the process.

Since that time, Chelsea have featured in a further five finals, winning the League Cup a total of four times.

Their most recent appearance came in 2008 when they faced Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, but they lost out that day, going down 2-1.

As a matter of coincidence, it is Spurs whom Chelsea face in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday.

To kick-start our countdown to that game, Bleacher Report looks at some of Chelsea's highs and lows in League Cup finals.

High: The Best Goal Never Seen

With no strikers available for selection, Tommy Docherty must have been cursing his bad luck ahead of the first leg of the 1965 League Cup final against Leicester City.

Chelsea were entertaining the Foxes at Stamford Bridge and with Barry Bridges on the treatment table, the manager had no choice but to play Eddie McCreadie—a full-back—up front.

We can only imagine what the reaction must have been on the terraces, but come the final whistle, it was proven to be a masterstroke from Docherty.

With the game level at 2-2 in the 81st minute, McCreadie picked up possession on the edge of his own box and went on an amazing solo run, running the length of the pitch before beating Gordon Banks in goal.

Judging by accounts of McCreadie's strike, it was a golazo of epic proportions, one that would be discussed the world over even today. The only problem is that there weren't any TV cameras inside Stamford Bridge to capture it!

McCreadie reflected years later in a Chelsea magazine interview:

"

It was pretty heavy going. I saw their two centre-backs coming at me and I knew they were going to give me some! I was pretty quick and I hit the ball between the both of them and I just went. Before I knew it, I had covered a lot of ground and I could see Gordon Banks coming out of the goal towards me and I dived, I got my toe on the ball and it dribbled over the line. If he had stayed put, he could have thrown his hat on it. It was exciting, I never scored many goals—five in my entire Chelsea career.

"

That goal has gone down in Chelsea folklore and has been dubbed the Greatest Goal Never Seen.

McCreadie is caught on camera in the Chelsea TV clip above, discussing his time at Stamford Bridge.

Low: Chelsea Lose to Stoke City's 'Dad's Army' in 1972

The Chelsea team of the late 1960s and early '70s were the golden boys in the club's history until the more recent successful Blues sides.

They came close to winning the title on a number of occasions and in 1970 won the FA Cup. A year later they even defeated the mighty Real Madrid to lift the European Cup Winners' Cup.

So when they faced an aging Stoke City side in the 1972 League Cup final at Wembley, they were the outright favourites.

They had Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson, Charlie Cook, John Hollins and Ron Harris in their team. The list went on.

As for Stoke, Gordon Banks and George Eastham were both 35 years old and nearing the end of their careers.

By this time the League Cup final had evolved to being just one game, different to the format of when Chelsea first won the trophy in 1965 over two legs.

So anything could happen in one game—and it did!

Stoke pulled off a major shock by winning the game 2-1.

Midfielder Terry Conroy gave them a surprise lead after just three minutes, but Osgood levelled for Chelsea right on half-time.

The Blues weren't their usual selves, though, and Stoke kept themselves in the game before that man Eastham scored the winner with just over 15 minutes remaining.

To this day, it's the only major trophy Stoke have ever won.

You can watch highlights of the final in the YouTube clip above.

High: Success Returns to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea ended a 26-year wait for a trophy when they defeated Middlesbrough 2-0 in the 1997 FA Cup final.

And just like a public transport cliche, another major honour arrived soon after. This time it was the League Cup and, you've guessed it, Middlesbrough were the team losing out once again.

To rub salt in the wound, the 1998 League Cup final finished with the same scoreline—2-0 to Chelsea.

Whereas Roberto Di Matteo had put the Blues ahead within the first minute of the FA Cup final, this game was somewhat more closely contested.

Indeed, with the game goalless after 90 minutes, it went to extra time.

Frank Sinclair scored Chelsea's opener just five minutes in and Di Matteo returned to haunt Boro at Wembley once again, sealing victory in the 107th minute when he converted Gianfranco Zola's corner.

Watch the highlights in the YouTube clip above.

Low: John Terry Gets Knocked out Against Arsenal

Given that Chelsea lifted the League Cup for the second time in three years in 2007, it's hard to look back at the game as having any low points.

Then John Terry's collision with Abou Diaby's boot comes to mind.

The Chelsea captain took the full force of the Arsenal midfielder's clearance in the second half at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, attacking the ball from a corner only to get knocked out.

It was completely unintentional from Diaby, but it did mean Terry's match was over from that point.

Didier Drogba scored Chelsea's winner late on as the game finished 2-1. With their captain in hospital, Frank Lampard lifted the trophy.

High: The Mourinho Era of Success Officially Starts

We're hearing it discussed right now that victory for Chelsea in this year's Capital One Cup final will be all the inspiration the Blues need to repeat the success of Jose Mourinho's first spell in charge.

The theory is such that the floodgates will open for the current squad of players; getting that first taste of success will lead to more.

Well, that's exactly what happened in 2005, too.

Mourinho had helped transform Chelsea from also-rans to a team looking like champions when he inherited Claudio Ranieri's team in 2004. But he needed a trophy to make them believe and he got it within eight months of being in charge as Chelsea defeated Liverpool in the League Cup final.

It was a thrilling game, too.

John Arne Riise put Liverpool ahead within the first minute, and despite dominating for large parts, it took a 79th-minute own goal from Steve Gerrard to get Chelsea back on level terms.

The game went into extra time when Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman scored to put Chelsea in control at 3-1.

Within 60 seconds of Kezman scoring, an Antonio Nunez goal had got Liverpool back into the game, but Chelsea did enough to hold on.

And with it, the Mourinho era of success was officially up and running.

Low: Tottenham Hotspur Turn Chelsea over at Wembley

For those of you who are superstitious, look away now.

The last time Chelsea reached the League Cup final was in 2008 and they faced Tottenham Hotspur, losing 2-1.

Spurs are their opponents again this year, so can they pull off another shock?

Indeed, it was a major surprise when Spurs defeated Chelsea in 2008. The White Hart Lane club had been struggling in the Premier League and their record against Chelsea was terrible—recording just one win against them in 18 years.

So when Didier Drogba fired Chelsea into a first-half lead, it was expected that Avram Grant's side would go on to win from there.

Not so.

Dimitar Berbatov levelled with a penalty midway through the second half, and when the game went into extra time, Jonathan Woodgate was the unlikeliest of heroes, with his header proving to be decisive.

It was one of the many low points in Grant's short reign as Chelsea manager.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes