The EFL Cup has always been the first major piece of silverware on offer during the English football campaign, and although it may play second fiddle to the FA Cup, it is still a competition teams are eager to win.
In recent years, the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have dominated, but who has won the competition the most? We’ve taken a look at the clubs who have won the League Cup more than once since its inception in 1961.
The best EFL Cup finals of all time – ranked
English football’s February showpiece event often has a lot to live up to. Here are some of the best League Cup finals ever seen.
ByStephan GeorgiouFeb 8, 2024
Club
Titles won
Liverpool
10
Manchester City
8
Manchester United
6
Chelsea
5
Aston Villa
5
Tottenham Hotspur
4
Nottingham Forest
4
Leicester City
3
Birmingham City
2
Arsenal
2
Norwich City
2
Wolves
2
12 Wolves 2 titles
Starting the countdown is Wolverhampton Wanderers, who won both League Cup finals they have played in. The first came in 1974 against Manchester City, defeating them 2-1 after a late winner from John Richards.
Six years later in 1980, the Old Gold were once again Wembley winners, this time against European champions Nottingham Forest, with Andy Gray scoring the winner against Brian Clough’s side.
11 Norwich City 2 titles
Norwich City have also won two League Cup titles, the first of which came in 1962 when the finals were played across two legs. The Canaries faced Rochdale and won 4-0 on aggregate.
Defeats in the 1973 and 1975 finals followed before winning their second League Cup in 1985, beating Sunderland 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a goal from Gordon Chisholm.
10 Arsenal 2 titles
Many may have expected Arsenal to have more than two League Cup titles to their name, and they could have if not for the six final defeats they have suffered in the competition.
Their two triumphs came in 1987 and 1993, both of which were 2-1 wins at Wembley over Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. They last reached the final in 2018, losing 3-0 to Man City.
9 Birmingham City 2 titles
Almost 50 years passed between Birmingham City’s two League Cup wins, with the first coming in 1963 against rivals Aston Villa. The Blues ran out 3-1 winners across two legs, with the damage done in the first leg at St Andrew’s.
In 2011, Birmingham famously beat Arsenal after a dramatic late goal from substitute Obafemi Martins, who pounced on a mix-up between Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and defender Laurent Koscielny to steal the cup for the Blues.
8 Leicester City 3 titles
Leicester City are currently the only side to have three League Cup titles on their honours board, the first of which was won in 1964 against Stoke City.
In 1997, a replay was required for the Foxes to get the better of Middlesbrough at Hillsborough, with Steve Claridge netting an extra-time winner. Three years later in 2000, Leicester lifted the trophy again in what was the last final at the old Wembley, beating First Division side Tranmere Rovers 2-1 after a double from captain Matt Elliott.
7 Nottingham Forest 4 titles
Nottingham Forest have won four League Cups, with the Reds winning back-to-back titles on two separate occasions under Brian Clough.
The first League Cup double came in 1978 and 1979 around the time of their European glory, beating Liverpool 1-0 after a replay and Southampton 3-2. They repeated the trick in 1989 and 1990, defeating Luton Town and Oldham Athletic in Wembley finals.
6 Tottenham Hotspur 4 titles
Tottenham Hotspur have also lifted the League Cup on four occasions, beating Aston Villa 2-0 in 1971 and Norwich City 1-0 in 1973. More than 25 years passed before their next triumph in 1999 and their most recent major honour came back in 2008.
Since that win, Spurs have tasted League Cup final defeat on three occasions – to Manchester United in 2009, Chelsea in 2015 and Manchester City in 2021.
5 Aston Villa 5 titles
Aston Villa were the first-ever winners of the League Cup, overcoming a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of the 1961 final against Rotherham United to prevail 3-2 aggregate winners.
The Villans then defeated Norwich City 1-0 in 1975 and required two replays in 1977 to get the better of Everton. After no wins in the 1980s, Villa won two more League Cups in 1994 and 1996, defeating Manchester United and Leeds United at Wembley.
Villa have twice had the chance to secure a sixth title but lost in the 2010 and 2020 finals to Manchester United and Manchester City.
4 Chelsea 5 titles
The second team on five League Cup triumphs are Chelsea, who have suffered Wembley heartbreak on three occasions since 2019, two of which were penalty shootout defeats.
The Blues first ran out as winners of the competition back in 1965 against Leicester City and won it again in 1998 with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.
Since the turn of the millennium, Stamford Bridge has added three more League Cups to their trophy cabinet, defeating Liverpool in 2005 and Arsenal in 2007 at the Millennium Stadium before winning at Wembley again in 2015 against Spurs.
3 Manchester United 6 titles
Five of Manchester United’s six League Cup wins have come in the last 20 years, with their only triumph before then coming back in 1992 under Sir Alex Ferguson after a Brian McClair goal was the difference against Nottingham Forest.
The Red Devils and Ferguson then added three more League Cup titles between 2006 and 2010, defeating Wigan Athletic, Tottenham and Aston Villa.
Jose Mourinho won Man Utd’s fifth League Cup in 2017 before Erik ten Hag claimed the club’s sixth in 2023 against Newcastle United.
