Steve Morrow and 20 Great League Cup Final Moments

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will collide at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, with the two Premier League superpowers seeking to add to an already illustrious list of celebrated League Cup finals.

Although seen as one of England's smaller competitions, the League Cup crescendo is an event responsible for a host of stellar moments involving clubs both big and small.

Steve Morrow holds an unenviable place in League Cup final history, but it could also be a pivotal goal or win in one of English football's most anticipated showpieces that make some of the following moments so worth hanging on to.

Read on for a selection of the finest moments in League Cup final history and be sure to make your own suggestions in the forum below.

20. Liverpool Earn Shootout Win over Birmingham in Cardiff, 2001

The first of seven League Cup finals to be played at the Millennium Stadium during Wembley's reconstruction saw Liverpool take on Birmingham City in a what proved to be a far tenser clash than many would have predicted.

The Reds had to settle for a 5-4 win on penalties after Darren Purse converted a last-minute penalty to cancel out Robbie Fowler's stupendous half-volley earlier in the fixture.

Championship representatives Birmingham would have been content with their work were it not for a crushing defeat on spot-kicks, with Andrew Johnson missing his crucial attempt.

This was also the first time the Millennium Stadium hosted a major football final.

19. Savo Milosevic Sets Villa on Path to Glory, 1996

Only Liverpool (eight) have won more League Cups than Aston Villa (five), and it was a spark of Savo Milosevic majesty that set the Villans en route to their 1996 victory.

One that will go down as a contender for best goal ever scored in a League Cup final, the Serbian urged Wembley into a fervour with rasping in a 20th-minute opener against Leeds United.

This was a very talented Villa lineup, and Milosevic went on to make many a Villa Park moment to remember, but the sweetness of this particular strike was assuredly something he savoured.

18. Arsenal and Chelsea Remembered for All the Wrong Reasons, 2007

Most football fans like to see a heated spark or three in any game, but the League Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea erupted into an on-pitch inferno in 2007.

With Chelsea leading 2-1 in the dying embers of the game, John Obi Mikel and Kolo Toure got into a war of words following a somewhat fiery coming together, but it was the ensuing melee that shocked most.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was quick to enter the fray in a bid to calm his players, with Mikel and Toure each sent off for their part in the fracas, along with the Gunners' Emmanuel Adebayor, who was attempting to "defuse" the situation.

This sits as an example of the type of moment one doesn't perhaps wish to remember but certainly can't forget.

17. Rochdale Capture the Magic of the Competition, 1962

For some, the FA Cup is the English competition that best embodies what can be achieved by "the little guy" in football, but the League Cup has also had its share of David versus Goliath stories.

They may not have managed to go the whole way, but fourth-division Rochdale captured the spirit of the tournament in 1962, making their way to a final against Norwich City.

The Canaries, then of the old Second Division, were seen as heavy favourites to claim the title and did so in emphatic manner, winning 4-0 over two legs led by captain Ron Ashman.

Rochdale's record of being the only fourth-tier side to make the final remained for just over 40 years until Bradford City booked their place at Wembley in 2013.

16. Manchester City Cement Return to the Top, 2014

A full 38 years after winning their last League Cup, Manchester City came from behind to defeat Sunderland in 2014's final and solidify their return to the summit of English football.

In a year in which they also won the Premier League, Manuel Pellegrini's men gave themselves a hard start at Wembley, with Sunderland's Fabio Borini bagging the opener after just 10 minutes.

However, Yaya Toure and Sami Nasri scored two goals in as many minutes early in the second period, with Jesus Navas icing the cake at the death to make it 3-1.

City were, of course, back among the Premier League hierarchy long before this particular victory, but the trophy win helped hugely in justifying their "giants" status.

15. Ron Atkinson Proves Laughter Is the Best Medicine, 1994

More than 20 years on, it's difficult to envision Michael McIntyre providing the laughs for either Chelsea or Spurs as they head into the League Cup final, but in 1994, then-Aston Villa boss Ron Atkinson struck genius through such means.

The Villans boss hired Liverpudlian comedian Stan Boardman to entertain the team before that year's final, and they were inspired to a 3-1 win over Manchester United.

Boardman was quoted by the Birmingham Mail's Mat Kendrick as explaining his role in the victory:

"

Aston Villa were the underdogs and Manchester United had a fantastic team with players like Eric Cantona. I had a microphone and I was telling jokes. The Villa lads were laughing and cheering, and the time went dead quick.

Ron had been on a lot of coaches when the nerves had sapped his players’ energy and he didn’t want that to happen with Villa. It was either a masterstoke in sports psychology from Ron or a bit of luck—but it worked.

"

That was to be the first of two League Cup crowns Villa would claim in the space of three seasons, but nevertheless, it was an odd move to make—the kind we'd like to see more of.

14. Aston Villa Come Good to Claim Maiden League Cup, 1961

Associated Press

The first League Cup final gave English football fans a taste of the thrills the competition was capable of producing after Aston Villa steered their way to a dramatic 3-2 aggregate win over Rotherham United. 

Had the competition been played over a single 90-minute period as it is today, Rotherham's 2-0 lead after the first instalment would have been enough to ensure their success.

However, the Second Divison side couldn't hold on against first-tier opposition, and a crowd of just over 31,000 watched on at Villa Park as the Birmingham giants claimed a sensational 3-0 second-leg victory.

Alan O'Neil and Harry Burrows tucked away two goals in three minutes to cancel the deficit before Peter McParland struck in the 109th minute to complete Villa's comeback.

13. Tottenham Reverse Troubles to Top Chelsea, 2008

The Juande Ramos era was one to forget for Tottenham Hotspur, but the Spaniard did deliver the League Cup in 2008, his brightest achievement at White hart Lane.

Despite a typically wonderful Didier Drogba goal, it all seemed to go right for Spurs on a day when Petr Cech was committing out-of-character slip-ups and Jonathan Woodgate scored the winner.

This London derby will be particularly memorable for Spurs because Chelsea were a titan of European football of the time, making their underdog result that much more incredible in the competition's first final at the new Wembley Stadium.

12. Charlie Nicholas Denies Ian Rush His Liverpool Legacy, 1987

Just prior to his move to Juventus, Ian Rush opened the scoring in the 1987 League Cup final, seemingly extending his record of having never scored for Liverpool in a match they'd lost.

However, after almost six years of that record standing, Arsenal's Charlie Nicholas proved to be its doom, scoring either side of half-time to give the north London giants their victory.

Up until that point, Rush had scored in 145 games for the Reds, none of which they'd lost, but Nicholas gave him a sore sendoff just before the forward's spell in Turin.

11. Jose Mourinho 'Shushes' Liverpool, 2005

Jose Mourinho is known to many as one of the most charismatic and enjoyable management figures in modern football, but Liverpool fans may not have been so enamoured with the Portuguese in 2005.

Amid rumours that Steven Gerrard had been and was still being pursued by the Blues, it was ironic that the Reds captain netted an own goal when facing Chelsea in the 2005 League Cup final.

What happened next was none of his doing, though, as Mourinho proceeded to nonchalantly waltz past the Liverpool support with an upward-pointing index finger cemented against perked lips.

The "Special One" was shown a red card for the motion and forced to watch from afar as his west Londoners claimed a 3-2 win in extra time, but his sideline manners go down as a most noteworthy moment of the match.

10. Arsenal Howler Gifts Obafemi Martins Cup-Winning Goal, 2011

In the days when Arsenal's trophy drought was still the club's biggest concern and Nikola Zigic was a Premier League striker, the Gunners threw away a grand chance for silverware.

Only a superb performance from Birmingham City stopper Ben Foster had kept the north Londoners at bay in the 2011 final, keeping the score at 1-1 after Robin van Persie had levelled after a goal from Zigic.

What transpired was a moment that came to be known as something of an Arsenal trademark, however, as Laurent Koscielny intervened to spoil what seemed like a easy pickup for Wojciech Szczesny.

The Pole spilled the ball and Obafemi Martins was there to net an 89th-minute winner for Birmingham. Not only was the late drama a rare showing of inept defending, but it also sealed Birmingham's first trophy for 48 years.

9. John Sheridan Scorcher Downs Manchester United, 1991

It was a triumphant year for Sheffield Wednesday in 1991, when they claimed the League Cup from under Manchester United's nose and gained promotion back to the First Division.

And it was John Sheridan who gave the Owls their victory in that year's League Cup final, collecting the ball on the edge of the area and firing home the fixture's only goal.

The underdog story of the Second Division side is something no neutral can help admiring, but the quality of Sheridan's strike, in off the woodwork, gave the win a much more deserved feel.

8. Nottingham Forest Get the Champagne Treatment, 1979

Brian Clough was known for some outside-the-box thinking during his reign as one of Europe's finest managers. However, demanding his players finish a whole crate of champagne the night before a League Cup final goes down as one of his more audacious ploys.

In 1979, it showed to be a working formula, though, as the in-form Forest team of that year went on to beat Southampton, 3-2, at Wembley, hangovers and all.

An unnamed member of that Forest squad is quoted by BBC News as saying of the fixture: "The night before the League Cup final against Southampton in 1979 we were blotto."

This comes as something of an anomaly on our list, given that the moment didn't occur on the pitch, but Forest would have been grateful for their manager's odd order at full time.

7. Queens Park Rangers' Royal Revival, 1967

It was almost 50 years ago that Queens Park Rangers beat West Bromwich Albion, 3-2, in the 1967 League Cup final to become the first third-tier club ever to win a major English trophy.

Mike Lazarus was the man to seal the Hoops' victory, and his side made the first League Cup final—the first to be decided over just one leg—to be held at Wembley a memorable as well as historic one.

The QPR triumph was so special due to the fact a Clive Clark double had put First Division West Brom 2-0 up, but the spirit of the English cup competition came alive when QPR came back against all the odds to score three goals in just 18 second-half minutes.

6. Tony Adams Inflicts Final Embarrassment on Steve Morrow

In the hysteria of a League Cup final triumph, adrenaline can sometimes take over and Gunners legend Tony Adams let the excitement get the better of him following Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993.

Having netted Arsenal's winner in a comeback victory, all Steve Morrow wanted was to bask in the glory of his heroics and collect his medal like the rest of the team.

However, Adams had other plans and lofted the midfielder atop his shoulders before dropping his team-mate, who broke his arm in the process and had to be ferried off to hospital.

Taking a hit in the line of duty is an acceptable enough sacrifice, but being assaulted by one's own captain in the wake of a trophy win is something that not many players can boast experiencing.

5. Aston Villa Edge Everton over Three Games, 1977

Aston Villa have the honour of being the only side to win a League Cup final after three matches when they defeated Everton in 1977.

The first two finals of that year ended on level terms, with a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough only just beating the 0-0 stalemate that unfolded at Wembley a few days earlier in terms of entertainment value.

The third meeting had no such flaws, however, and it was 40-yard screamer from centre-back Chris Nicholl that set the Villans on their way at Old Trafford.

Brian Little's brace also played a massive hand in Villa's 3-2, that third meeting of higher-octane action making up the previous two meetings of a final that took more than 300 minutes to decide.

4. Luton Town Seal Last-Gasp Comeback Against Arsenal, 1988

Luton Town were nearing the end of a successful decade when the 1988 League Cup final against Arsenal gave the Hatters what remains the only major trophy triumph in the club's history.

An early goal from Brian Stein gave the underdogs the lead against the reigning League Cup holders at Wembley, but Martin Hayes and Alan Smith struck in quick succession to put George Graham's Gunners in front.

It seemed like a more expected scoreline with Arsenal ahead, and Luton players' heads may have understandably dipped, but Andy Dibble saved a Nigel Winterburn spot-kick to give the Hatters the boost they required.

Arsenal defender Gus Caesar stumbled to give Danny Wilson the opportunity to equalise before Stein grabbed his second in the 90th minute, rubber-stamping a dramatic win for the dark horses.

3. Ronnie Whelan's Calm Under Pressure, 1983

Any League Cup victory is made all the better when the final comes against one of your most bitter rivals, and even more so when you're coming back from a goal down to seal the tie with a sensational extra-time winner.

That's how the script was written for Liverpool and Ronnie Whelan in 1983, when the wide midfielder's strike in the eighth minute of extra time sealed a 2-1 victory over Manchester United.

Whelan channeled all his cool into a curling right-footed effort that seemed to hang in the air for far longer than the few seconds it took to hit Gary Bailey's net.

2. Don Rogers Overcomes the Odds to Enter Swindon Town Lore, 1969

Extra time is usually seen as a dreaded thing for any underdog entering a final, with the smaller outfits usually hoping some quick-fire ingenuity will mean avoiding that extra examination of stamina.

However, Swindon Town proved themselves to be physically relentless in 1969, when an extra-time brace from Don Rogers saw the Robins to a 3-1 victory over top-flight Arsenal.

Just two years after QPR became the first third-tier team to lift a major English title, Swindon replicated the feat in an even more imperious manner, holding their own across 90 minutes before surging in the added 30 minutes.

1. Dennis Tueart's Game-Winning Overhead Kick, 1976

Newcastle United had high hopes of claiming their first League Cup in 1976, the year that marked their first appearance in the competition's final and Manchester City's third.

However, the Magpies were left disappointed as the Citizens claimed their second win in the space of six years, with Dennis Tueart adding the winning touch thanks to his 46th-minute overhead kick.

Newcastle forward Alan Gowling gave the Tynesiders hope when he cancelled out a Peter Barnes opener, but Tueart produced the spectacular under immense pressure to hand City their second League Cup crown.