The Highs and Lows of Tottenham Hotspur in League Cup Finals
Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the most successful clubs in the relatively short history of the League Cup. Since its inception in 1960, Spurs have won the trophy four times and been runners-up an additional three times.
Some great and terrible moments in Spurs' history have occurred in the League Cup under its various guises. The 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal in early 2008 and the humiliating exit at the hands of Grimsby Town in 2005 are just two examples.
When they travel to Wembley for their eighth final in the competition, facing Chelsea in a repeat of the 2008 showpiece, they will be hoping to create another glorious memory.
Let's relive the highest of highs and the lowest of lows for Spurs in League Cup finals.
High: First Triumph, 1971
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Ten years after Spurs won the double, they were still a team to be feared. Bill Nicholson had almost entirely replaced the team from his glory years, and after a four-year trophy drought, they headed to Wembley to face third-division Aston Villa.
Despite their status as a third-tier side, Villa remained a proud club and had seen off Manchester United in the semi-finals.
It was one of only two meetings between the clubs at the old Wembley, something of a surprise, given their storied histories.
Villa were widely praised for taking the game to Tottenham, but despite the presence of future Scotland international Bruce Rioch, the Villans succumbed to Spurs.
Martin Chivers, the man tasked with replacing the great Jimmy Greaves as Spurs' main goalscorer, grabbed a pair of goals to lead his side to Wembley glory on the day.
Low: First Defeat at Wembley, 1982
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1982 was a season that promised so much for Spurs. With their best team since the early '60s, Tottenham were dynamic and attractive, scoring plenty of goals.
Glenn Hoddle was developing into one of the finest players in the world, while Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa completed a brilliantly skilful attacking-midfield trio.
Spurs ended up finishing a disappointing fourth in the league and were knocked out in the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup, but they did earn two Wembley dates.
The first saw them face the Graeme Souness-captained Liverpool, the team of the decade, which resulted in Spurs' first defeat at Wembley.
Steve Archibald gave Keith Burkinshaw's men an 11th-minute lead, but Ronnie Whelan forced extra time, during which the men in red overcame the Lilywhites.
Happily, Spurs didn't have to wait long for a return. They won the FA Cup only a few months later in one of the great FA Cup finals.
High: Bill Nicholson's Final Trophy, 1973
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The great man of Tottenham Hotspur was on the final stretch of his managerial career in 1973.
Bill Nicholson led his charges to yet another trophy, his 11th as manager, with Ralph Coates scoring the winner against Norwich City.
That triumph won Spurs a place in the UEFA Cup for the following season. That campaign saw Spurs go all the way to the final, which was marred by fan violence and is been said to have motivated Bill Nic's desire to retire.
Low: A Typically Tottenham Day, 2002
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With Glenn Hoddle at the helm and a mix of young and experienced star players, Tottenham travelled to Cardiff for the 2002 League Cup final full of confidence.
With the old Wembley demolished and the new one under construction, Spurs played their first domestic final away from the stadium since 1921—two years before it was built.
Blackburn Rovers, a fading side that had already been relegated since its sole Premier League title-winning season, were not expected to stop Spurs.
Christian Ziege scored a rare goal to level the final after Matt Jansen gave Rovers the lead. Andy Cole got what turned out to be the winner, but there was still time for controversy.
Tottenham pressed hard for an equaliser, but Brad Friedel stood tall in Blackburn's goal. Teddy Sheringham will argue that he should have had a penalty late on, but it wasn't given, and Spurs suffered cup-final heartbreak.
Five members of the team that day would go on to coach at the club, including Tim Sherwood, Les Ferdinand and Gus Poyet.
High: A Forgettable Final, 1999
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The 1999 League Cup final sticks out as something of an oddity today.
Spurs won a trophy with a former Arsenal manager in charge, and to make things worse, it was Sol Campbell who hoisted the cup.
Of course, at that time, it wasn't known that Campbell would become the most hated man in Spurs' history. Instead, he was a beloved captain and local lad.
It wasn't Campbell who won the trophy for Spurs though, it was Allan Nielsen.
His late diving header snatched the win away from plucky Leicester City.
The Foxes' star man, Frank Sinclair, a recent signing from Chelsea, was dropped for the final.
Spurs' main man that season was David Ginola, but despite being selected for the match, the Frenchman made little more impact than Sinclair.
Low: So Very Nearly a High Point, 2009
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Tottenham were the reigning League Cup holders in 2009, but there had been a tremendous amount of upheaval in the 12 months between visits to Wembley.
Juande Ramos had been sacked, and Harry Redknapp had been appointed in his place.
Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane, Spurs' best strike partnership in decades, had been sold off, with Darren Bent left to carry the load.
Spurs were a very different team when they came up against Manchester United, but with new man Luka Modric starring in midfield, they very nearly knocked off Sir Alex Ferguson's side. United were the reigning champions of Europe and bound to meet Barcelona in the Champions League final later in the season.
It came down to penalties and Spurs were ultimately beaten.
Tottenham fans left Wembley with their heads held high and imagining what might have been.
High: A London Derby Triumph, 2008
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Tottenham's most recent Wembley triumph was a particularly sweet one.
Chelsea are one of Spurs' fiercest rivals, and they were a fantastic side in those days. Michael Essien, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba were just some of the stars on show.
Drogba scored—he always scores against Spurs—but Chelsea did what nobody expected: let their lead slip.
Dimitar Berbatov's penalty sent the match into extra time, and as penalties loomed, new signing Jonathan Woodgate scored a truly ugly, yet utterly beautiful, goal.
The image of Woodgate's screwed up face pushing the ball beyond Petr Cech's fist is burned into the minds of supporters.
Robbie Keane's triumphant jig and Ledley King raising the trophy are equally joyous moments for any Spurs fan.
Low: Local Boy Does Not so Good, 2009
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Before he married a glamour model, Jamie O'Hara was a fan in football boots.
O'Hara came through the Arsenal academy but famously wore a Spurs kit under his Arsenal one, so there was no confusion about where his loyalties lay.
Ultimately, O'Hara ran out of talent long before he ran out of enthusiasm, but when Spurs faced Manchester United in the 2009 League Cup final, O'Hara came on as a substitute and stepped up to take the first penalty.
It seemed written in the stars that the local boy would score and Spurs would lift the trophy, but he failed from the spot and United took the silverware instead.
David Bentley, another reported boyhood Spurs fan, also missed his penalty in a particularly tough shootout defeat.
High: Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon Run Riot, 2009
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Luka Modric arrived at Spurs as a record signing and was immediately lambasted for his physical stature. Arsene Wenger was one of many to remark that Modric was too small for the Premier League.
While he struggled in his early games, his brilliance occasionally shone through.
At Wembley, against Manchester United, Modric erased any doubts. Having broken into the common football consciousness with a magisterial display for Croatia at the same venue a few years earlier, it seemed Wembley was charmed for Modric.
His performance against United was fantastic, but even so, he may have been Spurs' second-best player on the day.
Aaron Lennon reached a level of consistent excellence in 2009-10, but his display in this final was as good as any he put on that season. Lennon ran Patrice Evra, one of Europe's finest defenders, absolutely ragged that day.
His pace and trickery were on full display, and he outshone even Cristiano Ronaldo.
Spurs' strikers on the day were two of the worst to ever line up at Wembley, so the brilliance of Lennon and Modric was all for naught.
Tottenham lost on penalties, but the two little magicians gave the fans something to smile about.
Low: The Man Who Couldn't Score, 2008
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Didier Zokora is a relic of a forgotten time when Tottenham weren't really that good.
He has made over 500 appearances in his career but remains in single figures for goals. For comparison, legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel scored 10.
Signed from Saint-Etienne to replace the outgoing Michael Carrick, Zokora was erratic and a rather odd player. Supposedly nicknamed the "maestro" during his time in France, Zokora often showed flair except when in scoring positions.
His engine was his key asset, but his ineptitude in front of goal made him an ultimately limited player.
Zokora never scored a goal in his three years at the club, but if he was ever going to get off the mark, it was the 2008 League Cup final.
That day, he found himself in great positions time and again but repeatedly fired straight at Chelsea 'keeper Petr Cech or wide of the goal. His fantastic fitness levels enabled him to push on in extra time, during which he had yet another chance to break the deadlock.
Spurs ultimately won the trophy, but poor old Zokora couldn't break his duck.
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