The Biggest English League Cup Upsets Of All Time
Blogs

The Biggest English League Cup Upsets Of All Time

The Biggest English League Cup Upsets Of All Time

The EFL Cup might not have the prestige of the FA Cup or the Premier League, but make no mistake - it is one of the most unpredictable tournaments in football.

This knockout competition is a culmination of all 92 clubs from across the English Football League, ranging from the gritty battlegrounds of League Two to the pinnacle of the Premier League. While some fans dismiss it as a "small" trophy, those who've tasted the glory know better. Winning the League Cup doesn't just include lifting a trophy at Wembley Stadium, but it contains a golden ticket to a European competition next season.

Over the years we've witnessed pure chaos, from kicking ball boys to shock victories that no one saw coming. From its days as the Carling Cup, to the Capital One, to today's Carabao Cup, one thing has remained the same, you can expect the unexpected.

The League Cup thrives on an underdog story, and today we will be looking at some of the biggest, most jaw-dropping upsets in the competition's history.

Chelsea vs Swansea (2012/13)

Kicking proceedings off in the 2012/13 season, the newly crowned European Champions faced struggling Premier League side Swansea City in a two-legged Cup semi-final.

The star-studded Chelsea FC team contained all the regular faces of that era, such as Petr Cech, John Terry, and Frank Lampard. Belgian winger, and recent Premier League Hall of Fame inductee Eden Hazard was also enjoying his first season at Stamford Bridge.

The first leg took place at Stamford Bridge, where the Swans stunned Chelsea with their first victory at the stadium in 87 years. Swansea won the first leg 2-0, with Spanish striker Michu scoring the opener for the side.

Michu is one of the greatest one-season wonders in history; signing for the Swans on a free transfer, the player scored 22 times in 43 appearances for the side in their first season back in the Premier League. This warranted a national call-up from Spain and a host of bids in the summer. Michu stayed loyal to the Liberty Stadium however, sadly, he was never able to recapture the form of his 2012/13 season. Michu retired at the age of 31 in 2017, and he will go down forever as one of the best "streets won't forget" ballers the Premier League has seen.

The second leg ended in a stalemate, with Michael Laudrup's men refusing to let Chelsea score. This result sent Swansea to their first ever major cup final; however, the result wasn't the main headline coming out of the game.

In what many consider one of modern football's most hilariously controversial moments, Chelsea were chasing the game, and in the 80th minute, Eden Hazard had an entanglement with a Swansea ball boy. In an attempt to make time go faster, the Swansea ball boy held the ball for longer than Hazard pleased, thus leading the Belgian to kick the teenager in the ribs.

Hazard was instantly sent off and faced repercussions for his actions. But don't worry, the pair can look back at the moment and laugh at it now, and all seems to be forgiven.

Swansea went on to win the EFL Cup this season, defeating Bradford City 5-0 in the final at Wembley.

Grimbsy Town vs Man United (2024/25)

Manchester United fans, look away; this may not be your only inclusion in this list.

Earlier this season, we saw Manchester United reach a new low in the footballing world. This time it came in a 12-11 loss on penalties to League Two side Grimsby Town.

What's more embarrassing is that Grimsby were 2-0 up, and had it not been for late goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire, the Red Devils would've crashed out in normal time.

Perhaps this result had some silver linings for United, as it marked a final appearance between the sticks for Andre Onana, signing off a calamitous career at Old Trafford.

Bradford City (2012/13)

Bradford City pulled off one of the biggest upsets in EFL Cup history when they defeated Arsenal 3-2 on penalties in the 2012/13 season; however, this was the mere catalyst for a fairy tale run for the Bantams in the EFL Cup.

Before defeating Arsenal, the League Two side sucker-punched Premier League outfit Wigan Athletic, meaning Arsenal were the second top-flight side to bow out to Phil Parkinson's men, despite the Gunners coming off the back of one of the most dramatic EFL Cup games of all time.

The semi-finals brought another Premier League side, Aston Villa, to Valley Parade, and Bradford would have to play at Villa Park. After 20 minutes, Nahki Wells broke through and scored the opener for Bradford in the first leg, and the Bantams doubled their lead in this game. The first leg ended 3-1 to Bradford.

In the reverse trip to the Midlands, the stakes were high, as Bradford City were now one game away from the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium. The game finished 2-1 to Aston Villa, meaning Bradford triumphed on aggregate.

On the 24th February 2013, Bradford City faced yet another Premier League opponent, Swansea City, in the League Cup final. Sadly, as mentioned earlier, the dream ended here, and it wasn't meant to be for the Bantams, as they lost the final 5-0. Nonetheless, their heroics will go down in English football folklore.

Defeating Premier League-winning and Champions League-winning clubs as a League Two side in the same season is a rarified feat that proves virtually impossible to find anywhere else in the world of football.

MK Dons vs Manchester United (2014/15)

Back in 2014, when Louis van Gaal's Man United faced an away trip to the metropolis of Milton Keynes.

MK Dons played their football in League One, so it appeared an easy fixture for Manchester United on paper, but as you should know by now, the EFL Cup is full of surprises.

The Dons didn't just defeat Man United; they thrashed them 4-0. Former Arsenal and Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe scored twice for the Dons and the other 2 goals came from none other than the Northern Irish flame himself, Will Grigg.

What's most notable about this game is that it was a breakout performance from MK Dons youth product Dele Alli, who assisted two of the goals and put in a man-of-the-match performance, snatching the headline from Grigg, who would have to wait another year before the football world sang his name.

Birmingham City vs Arsenal (2010/11)

The 2011 EFL Cup final saw two Premier League teams face each other. Struggling to survive, Birmingham City took on high-flying Champions League contenders Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

Cup finals are an anomaly; it's anyone's game. Regardless of how your season may be going in the league, reaching a cup final is always something to celebrate. For the players, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to receive some silverware. For the fans, it's a day out at Wembley they will never forget.

Birmingham opened the scoring with a goal from none other than Nikola Žigić before Robin van Persie netted the equaliser at the end of the first half. The second half commenced, and it was a cagey affair, to say the least. For the Gunners, panic ensued; they couldn't really lose, could they? However, the Blues were not faltered by the occasion at all, and they kept pushing until the final minute.

With the second half being a cagey affair, it would need a hero from either team to win the game.

Enter Obafemi Martins.

A cult hero for Birmingham, Martins signed on loan from Russian side Rubin Kazan for the season. Not many would've predicted the mark he would leave on Birmingham City fans, but make no mistake, they will never forget him.

After being substituted on halfway through the second half, the Nigerian striker pounced upon a mistake at the back between Laurent Koscielny and Wojiech Szczesny, smashing it into the back of the net with one minute to go on the clock.

And then, the final whistle. Against all odds, and with a bit of help from Laurent Koscielny, Birmingham City had done the unthinkable and won the EFL Cup.

Miraculously, the side were relegated from the Premier League in the same season, and thus became the first Championship team to ever feature in the UEFA Europa League.

Closing Remarks

Well, there you have it: some of the biggest and most obscure upsets in EFL Cup history.

Who knows what the tournament will throw at us next, but be sure to grab some popcorn, because if these are anything to go by, then we are not far away from another blockbuster affair!

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist

Arthur Turner

EFL Transfer and News Writer

You May Also Like
See more
The Shortest Series Ever: The Reijnders Disappearance

The Shortest Series Ever: The Reijnders Disappearance

The Club Who Were Play Off Candidates Are Stuck For Ideas: What Needs To Change?

The Club Who Were Play Off Candidates Are Stuck For Ideas: What Needs To Change?

Why This Mysterious Signing Could Transform One Team's Season

Why This Mysterious Signing Could Transform One Team's Season

Videos
See more
Argentina's Massive Talent Pool | Off The Bar Podcast Episode 4 ft. Nacho Z
Seb & Colin Welcomes their first guest ‪@soynachoz‬ where they chat all things South American Football | Off the Bar Podcast Episod
Gyokeres Already a Failure? | Off The Bar Podcast Episode 3
Is Gyokeres already a flop? 🤔 VAR in the Championship & the West Ham Situation | Off The Bar with Colin & Seb Episode 3
Olise to win the next Ballon D'or | Off The Bar Podcast Episode 2
Did Dembele Deserve the Ballon D'or? 🏆 Olise the next winner? & players mental health! | Off The Bar with Colin & Seb Episode 2
Latest In Blogs
See more
The 10 Best Left-Backs in Premier League History

The 10 Best Left-Backs in Premier League History

Football Blog

Why The Baller League is Everything Wrong With Modern Day Football

Why The Baller League is Everything Wrong With Modern Day Football

Football Blog

From Goalposts to Grocery Stores: 10 Footballers Who Took Surprising Jobs After Hanging Up The Boots

From Goalposts to Grocery Stores: 10 Footballers Who Took Surprising Jobs After Hanging Up The Boots

Player Blog

Join our newsletter

Become a part of our community and never miss an update from Football Park.