1994 Football League Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 1994 Coca-Cola Cup Final took place on 27 March 1994 at the old Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Manchester United
and Aston Villa
. Aston Villa won 3–1 to claim their fourth League Cup
final victory. Manchester United would go on to win both the Premier League and FA Cup
that season, the result denying United the Domestic Treble
, while Villa finished 10th in the Premier League.
and Peter Schmeichel
- but the predicted victory for them in this match was expected to be the first part of a domestic treble. Alex Ferguson
decided to field his full strength team with the exception of former Villa keeper Les Sealey
who was deputising for the suspended Schmeichel. Villa boss Ron Atkinson
decided to field a five man midfield with Tony Daley
and Dalian Atkinson
on the flanks and unknown rookie Graham Fenton
to partner Andy Townsend
and Kevin Richardson
in the centre. With Liverpudlian comedian Stan Boardman
on the team bus and in the dressing room, Ron Atkinson ensured his players were relaxed before kick-off.
The match began with Aston Villa playing a fast counter-attacking game. United saw a lot of the ball but the Villa's defence, marshalled expertly by Paul McGrath, rendered Cantona anonymous. There was a scare for Villa when Mark Bosnich
looked to have brought down Roy Keane
outside the box but the referee played on. Aston Villa's only chance in the first twenty odd minutes had been an inswinging corner from Steve Staunton
which was touched over by Sealey. On twenty five minutes however Townsend played a pass into the feet of Dean Saunders
who flicked the ball over the top of United's defence and into the path of Dalian Atkinson who made no mistake.
In the second half the pattern of the game remained the same, United sluggish and Villa playing a counter-attacking game. On 70 minutes Kevin Richardson tackled United substitute Lee Sharpe
who looked certain to score. Five minutes later Villa went down the other end and earnt a free-kick when Daley was brought down just outside the United box. Richardson swung it in and Saunders stuck a leg out to divert it into the net for Villa's second goal. Mark Hughes
pulled a goal back for United with seven minutes remaining and was denied a second just moments later when Bosnich pushed a venomous looking volley round the post. With time nearly up Villa broke once more, Tony Daley striking the United post with a fantastic shot. The ball fell to Dalian Atkinson who hit it goal-wards only for the ball to strike Andrei Kanchelskis
on the hand. The Russian was to be red carded and could only watch as Dean Saunders converted the resulting penalty. The final whistle went and the Villa had won 3-1. United went onto win the FA Cup and FA Carling Premiership but the day was Villa's and it was Kevin Richardson who stepped up to collect the cup for the Birmingham club.
The match was also the last to be covered on the original BBC Radio 5
. The station closed down that night, with BBC Radio Five Live
launching the following morning.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. Aston Villa won 3–1 to claim their fourth League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final victory. Manchester United would go on to win both the Premier League and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
that season, the result denying United the Domestic Treble
The Treble
The term treble or Treble is used in association football to refer to a team winning three trophies in a single season. Honours usually considered to contribute to a treble are the top-tier domestic league competition, domestic cup competitions, and continental tournaments; although this depends to...
, while Villa finished 10th in the Premier League.
Match summary
Aston Villa had finished runners-up to Manchester United the previous season but were in poor form going into this final, losing three consecutive games. The bookmakers and national press were predicting that the Villa would be beaten comfortably at Wembley. Manchester United had suffered a slight blip of their own with a couple of draws in their previous league matches and several high-profile red cards to the likes of Eric CantonaEric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
and Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993...
- but the predicted victory for them in this match was expected to be the first part of a domestic treble. Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
decided to field his full strength team with the exception of former Villa keeper Les Sealey
Les Sealey
Leslie Jesse "Les" Sealey was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for, among others, Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United...
who was deputising for the suspended Schmeichel. Villa boss Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
decided to field a five man midfield with Tony Daley
Tony Daley
Anthony Mark Daley is an English former footballer, who made the vast majority of his appearances for Aston Villa, playing mainly as a winger, well known for his pace...
and Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Robert Atkinson is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League and Premier League for Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Manchester City, in La Liga for Real Sociedad, in Ligue 1 for Metz, in the Turkish Super League for Fenerbahçe, in Saudi...
on the flanks and unknown rookie Graham Fenton
Graham Fenton
Graham Anthony Fenton is an English professional footballer, currently playing for North Shields. He was also capped once by England at under-21 level.-Career:...
to partner Andy Townsend
Andy Townsend
Andrew "Andy" David Townsend is a former professional footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit....
and Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson (footballer)
Kevin Richardson is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Everton, Watford, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Southampton, Barnsley and Blackpool, and also spent a season in La Liga with Real Sociedad. He was...
in the centre. With Liverpudlian comedian Stan Boardman
Stan Boardman
Stan Boardman is an English comedian.- Early life :Boardman was evacuated with his family to Wrexham during World War II, and after the family returned to their Merseyside home mistakenly thinking the area had escaped the German bombs, his elder brother Tommy was killed in a bombing raid.He had...
on the team bus and in the dressing room, Ron Atkinson ensured his players were relaxed before kick-off.
The match began with Aston Villa playing a fast counter-attacking game. United saw a lot of the ball but the Villa's defence, marshalled expertly by Paul McGrath, rendered Cantona anonymous. There was a scare for Villa when Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich is a retired Australian football player and football pundit. He represented Australia 17 times and played for English Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea.-Manchester United :...
looked to have brought down Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
outside the box but the referee played on. Aston Villa's only chance in the first twenty odd minutes had been an inswinging corner from Steve Staunton
Steve Staunton
Stephen "Steve" Staunton is an Irish association football manager and former professional footballer, who was most recently manager of Darlington...
which was touched over by Sealey. On twenty five minutes however Townsend played a pass into the feet of Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
who flicked the ball over the top of United's defence and into the path of Dalian Atkinson who made no mistake.
In the second half the pattern of the game remained the same, United sluggish and Villa playing a counter-attacking game. On 70 minutes Kevin Richardson tackled United substitute Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
who looked certain to score. Five minutes later Villa went down the other end and earnt a free-kick when Daley was brought down just outside the United box. Richardson swung it in and Saunders stuck a leg out to divert it into the net for Villa's second goal. Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
pulled a goal back for United with seven minutes remaining and was denied a second just moments later when Bosnich pushed a venomous looking volley round the post. With time nearly up Villa broke once more, Tony Daley striking the United post with a fantastic shot. The ball fell to Dalian Atkinson who hit it goal-wards only for the ball to strike Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
on the hand. The Russian was to be red carded and could only watch as Dean Saunders converted the resulting penalty. The final whistle went and the Villa had won 3-1. United went onto win the FA Cup and FA Carling Premiership but the day was Villa's and it was Kevin Richardson who stepped up to collect the cup for the Birmingham club.
The match was also the last to be covered on the original BBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
. The station closed down that night, with BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
launching the following morning.
Match details
EWLINE
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style="font-size:90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center> | MANCHESTER UNITED: | ||
| GK | 13 |  Les SealeyLes Sealey Leslie Jesse "Les" Sealey was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for, among others, Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United... |
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| RB | 2 | Paul Parker |
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| CB | 4 | Steve Bruce Steve Bruce Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham... (c) |
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| CB | 6 | Gary Pallister Gary Pallister Gary Andrew Pallister is an English former footballer, most noted for his nine-year spell at Manchester United from 1989 until 1998... |
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| LB | 3 |  Denis IrwinDenis Irwin Denis Joseph Irwin is a former Irish football player who is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester United, where he established himself as one of the most important players in the United team that won a host of domestic and European trophies in his time there between 1990 and... |
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| RM | 14 |  Andrei KanchelskisAndrei Kanchelskis Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC... |
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| CM | 16 | Roy Keane Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland.... |
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| CM | 8 | Paul Ince Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town... |
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| LM | 11 |  Ryan GiggsRyan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season... |
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| SS | 7 |  Eric CantonaEric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in... |
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| CF | 10 | Mark Hughes Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals.... |
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| Substitutes: | ||||
| GK | 25 | Gary Walsh Gary Walsh (English footballer) Gary Walsh is a retired English footballer who played as goalkeeper with a number of clubs including Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Bradford City and Wigan Athletic. He became goalkeeping coach at Wigan under manager Paul Jewell before teaming back up with Jewell at Derby County... |
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| MF | 5 | Lee Sharpe Lee Sharpe Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996... |
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| FW | 9 |  Brian McClairBrian McClair Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell... |
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| Manager: | ||||
| Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986... |
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Aston Villa
| Aston Villa | Round | Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... | 0–1 | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
Round 2 | Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
2–1 | Manchester United | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 1–0 | Birmingham City | Manchester United | 2–0 | Stoke City | |||||
| Aston Villa won 2–0 on aggregate | Manchester United won 3–2 on aggregate | |||||||||
| Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... |
1–4 | Aston Villa | Round 3 | Manchester United | 5–1 | Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
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| Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
0–1 | Aston Villa | Round 4 | Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
0–2 | Manchester United | ||||
| Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... |
1–2 | Aston Villa | Round 5 | Manchester United | 2–2 | Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
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| Portsmouth | 0–1 | Manchester United | ||||||||
| Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
3–1 | Aston Villa | Semi-finals | Manchester United | 1–0 | Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
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| Aston Villa | 3–1 | Tranmere Rovers | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–4 | Manchester United | |||||
| Aston Villa won 5–4 on penalties | Manchester United won 5–1 on aggregate | |||||||||
External links
- Game facts at soccerbase.com