Biggest League Cup Shocks!

Liverpool’s season could go from bad to worse tonight as they face Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup Quarter-Final.

Brendan Rodgers has stated the trophy is a priority, but the clash with the Championship leaders has upset written all over it. We have a look at some of the biggest ever League Cup shocks, including one that Liverpool fans would rather forget.

Liverpool v Northampton, 2010
Liverpool’s third round tie with League Two Northampton Town in 2010 was possibly the nadir of Roy Hodgson’s reign at the club.

On a miserable night at a half-full Anfield, Milan Jovanovic put the Reds into an early lead before being pegged back to bring the game into extra-time. The sides traded further goals to send the game to penalties.

As the rain lashed down, the Cobblers held their nerve and prevailed in the shootout to shock the competition’s most successful club.

Manchester United v MK Dons, 2014
United may have won six league games on the trot, but it’s only four months ago that Louis van Gaal’s side limped out of the competition to a club that were officially founded the same year Wayne Rooney joined the Red Devils.

David De Gea has come in for well-earned praise of late but he couldn’t stop four goals from an energetic League One side, on the night that Angel di Maria signed for United.

It’s no surprise that several of United’s players that night – including Shinji Kagawa, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck – have already been shipped out by Van Gaal after their humiliating exit.

Arsenal v Bradford City, 2012
League Two side Bradford City took a shock lead against a strong Gunners side before a Thomas Vermaelen goal restored order with two minutes to go.

It looked like Arsenal’s dominance would prevail in extra-time but neither side could score again, bringing the match to penalties.

Vermaelen went from hero to villain, missing his spot-kick – as did Santi Cazorla and Marouane Chamakh – to send the Bantams into the semi-final. They went on to shock Aston Villa in the last four before succumbing to Swansea City in the final.

Tottenham v Notts County, 1994
Spurs had begun their season in swashbuckling fashion with the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann, Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton et al scoring goals like they were going out of fashion.

But they did go out of fashion for them – in an humiliating 3-0 defeat to struggling Notts County. It wasn’t as if County were high-flyers at the time, they went through three managers that season on their way to a relegation to the third tier.

The giant-killing was all too much for Spurs’ owner Alan Sugar, who only took a day tell manager Ossie Ardiles “you’re fired”.

Chelsea v Burnley, 2008
Chelsea’s line-up, containing the likes of Didier Drogba, Deco and Branislav Ivanovic, should have been too strong for Owen Coyle’s Championship side.

It certainly looked that way when the Ivorian put Luis Felipe Scolari’s team into a first-half lead, in what looked like a routine victory. However, a spirited second half performance from The Clarets– and an equaliser from Ade Akinbiyi – put the tie into extra-time.

Coyle’s men hung on to bring the game to penalties, where keeper Brian Jensen proved the hero – saving John Obi Mikel’s spot-kick to send them through. They went on to beat Arsenal before being knocked out by Spurs in a tight semi-final.