Ahead of Sunday's League Cup final between Man Utd and Spurs, Chris Burton takes a trip down memory lane.
The League Cup final has thrown up its fair share of memorable moments down the years
Ahead of Manchester United's showdown with current defenders of the crown Tottenham on Sunday, skysports.com takes a trip down memory lane as we relive the most memorable moments to grace the League Cup final.
While the competition will always be forced to live in the shadow of its more illustrious big brother, the FA Cup, there have been a number of events down the years which have caught the eye - and not necessarily for all the right reasons.
Spectacular goals, memorable giant-killings, preposterous injuries, history rewritten - it has all happened at some time or another since the League Cup's inception back in 1961. And to think some managers, who will remain nameless, still have a tendency not to take it seriously!
Adams drops a clanger - 1993
Pity poor Steve Morrow who, after helping Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993, suddenly found himself bundled into the back of an ambulance moments after the final whistle.
Having scored what proved to be the match-winner, after the Gunners had recovered from going a goal down early on, the midfielder had his moment in the sun cut short by an act of over-exuberance from his captain Tony Adams.
The England international, overcome with emotion, attempted to hoist Morrow onto his shoulders and parade him in front of his adoring public.
What actually happened was Adams flung his unsuspecting team-mate head first into the turf, breaking his arm in the process.
As a result, Morrow missed out on the opportunity to climb the famous steps and collect his well-deserved medal.
He does, however, go down in football folklore as being the only man to have been awarded a medal before a cup final, after belatedly receiving his gong ahead of the FA Cup showpiece - which saw Arsenal face Wednesday again - a month later.
Hats off to Luton - 1988
With 10 minutes remaining in the 1988 League Cup final, Luton Town appeared to be teetering on the edge of defeat.
Despite taking a 13th minute lead against Arsenal, through Brian Stein, the Hatters found themselves on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline with time fast running out.
However, once Andy Dibble had beaten away a Nigel Winterburn penalty to keep them within touching distance of the Gunners, a remarkable turnaround was put in motion.
Danny Wilson proceeded to level matters with eight minutes left on the clock and, with extra-time looming, Stein sent the travelling Luton contingent into delirium with a last-gasp winner.
The reigning top-flight champions had no time in which to rescue the game, ensuring the cup headed to Kenilworth Road for the only time in Luton's chequered history.
Robins stun Gunners - 1969
While Arsenal have enjoyed their fair share of highs in the League Cup down the years, when they hit a low they tend to crash and burn in spectacular style.
The aforementioned defeat to Luton saw them clutch defeat from the jaws of victory, but that was by no means their lowest ebb in this particular competition.
That came almost 20 years earlier, as the Gunners were humbled 3-1 by Third Division club Swindon.
Arsenal were a top-flight outfit at the time and were expected to make light work of their lowly cup final opponents.
That script went out of window, though, as two goals in extra-time from Don Rogers saw the Robins steal the headlines in true David versus Goliath fashion.
Fitting gesture - 1983
There are only a few managers who can rightfully lay claim to the title of 'legend', and Bob Paisley is one of them.
A glittering 44-year career with Liverpool, as a player coach and manager, saw him play an integral role in the revolution which saw the Reds establish domestic dominance and become conquerors of Europe on an almost annual basis.
While he will forever be remembered around Anfield for all he achieved on the touchlines, it perhaps goes largely unnoticed that he was once afforded the honour of lifting a major trophy.
In 1983, the year of his retirement, Liverpool took the League Cup with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Wembley.
Graeme Souness was captain of the Merseyside outfit that day, but he relinquished his right as skipper to go and collect the trophy by insisting that his manager fulfil that duty - which he duly did.
Glory days - 1986
A quick glance through the League Cup roll of honour shows that, unsurprisingly, the big boys have dominated over the years.
However, rather refreshingly, the competition has been known to open its door to less familiar faces on occasion.
Take 1986 for example, as Oxford United overcame Queens Park Rangers to claim the only major trophy in their history.
While the Us could boast the likes of John Aldridge and Ray Houghton among their ranks, and were top-flight performers at the time, it is their subsequent fall from grace which makes this success all the more remarkable.
The club have found themselves on a slippery slope ever since those heady days of the mid-80s and now hold the unenviable honour of being the only side currently plying their trade outside of the Football League to have got their hands on the League Cup.
There's a first time for everything - 2001
Ever since the competition's format was altered to incorporate finals played over a single leg in 1967, the tournament always ended up at Wembley - with replays then played elsewhere if necessary.
However, with the Football Association deciding to give the national stadium a facelift, a new home was required from 2000.
Cardiff's Millennium Stadium was asked to provide temporary shelter, with domestic cup finals heading there for the first time in 2001.
Liverpool and Birmingham contested the first League Cup showpiece to be staged on Welsh soil, with the Reds triumphing by virtue of a penalty shoot-out.
With replays having been abolished by then, the match also represented the first, and to date only, time the event has gone the distance.
Quick off the mark - 2005
The 2005 League Cup final will be remembered for a number of reasons, with Chelsea's 3-2 success over Liverpool earning Jose Mourinho his first trophy in English football.
The game also saw Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard put through his own net, initiating a now infamous celebration from Mourinho as he pranced down the touchline with his finger pressed against his lips.
All of that occurred, though, after John Arne Riise had brought the game screaming to life inside the opening minute.
The Norwegian full-back earned a reputation for spectacular strikes during his time at Anfield and his 45-second thunderbolt against the Blues was right out of the top drawer.
His unstoppable volley entered the record books as the quickest goal to be scored in the final of the competition - an honour he still holds to this day.
Rush loses record - 1987
While their can be no doubting Ian Rush's value to the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1980s, little is known about his role as the club's good-luck charm.
It is worth noting at this point that Rush made his debut for the Reds in 1980, going on to become an Anfield legend prior to his departure for Juventus seven years later.
During that time the moustachioed goal-poacher became a regular name on scoresheets across the country.
And when Rush scored, Liverpool invariably won.
In fact, the Welshman did not find himself on a losing side after finding the target until the 1987 League Cup final.
The Merseysiders must have thought the trophy was theirs for the taking when Rush opened the scoring against Arsenal that day, but a brace from Champagne Charlie Nicholas saw the crown slip from their brow.
Rush's record was broken, but he headed to Italy safe in the knowledge that his achievement is unlikely to ever be matched.
Good things come to those who wait - 2004
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. That just about summed up Middlesbrough's existence prior to the 2004 League Cup final.
A club that had been founded in 1876 had toiled in their pursuit of silverware to no avail for 128 years until they rolled up at the Millennium Stadium to face Bolton.
Two previous League Cup finals had brought nothing but heartache, while solitary showings in the FA Cup final and ZDS Cup final during the 90s had also seen Boro take second place in a two-horse race.
The 29th February 2004 was to be their day, though, with Joseph Desire Job getting them off to the perfect start inside two minutes against the Trotters.
Steve McClaren's men were in dreamland five minutes later when Boudewijn Zenden doubled their lead and even a uncharacteristic mistake from Mark Schwarzer, which allowed Kevin Davies to pull one back before the break, could not deny them their long-awaited moment of glory.
Handbags at dawn - 2007
The 2007 meeting between Arsenal and Chelsea, the last final to be held in Cardiff, descended into a right old Cockney knees-up after all hell broke loose between the capital rivals.
The game itself, a 2-1 win for the Blues, was largely forgettable, with the only moment worthy of note seeing Theo Walcott grab his first goal for the Gunners.
There would be plenty of talking points, though, with a freak injury to John Terry setting the scene for what was to follow.
The inevitable jostling which accompanies the taking of a corner saw the England skipper come into contact with Abou Diaby, before finding his face skewered on the end of the Arsenal's man boot.
Terry was rushed to hospital after being knocked unconscious by the unintentional coming together and would miss out on the opportunity to later lift the trophy.
He also missed one of the most comical on-field scuffles of all time, and our memorable moment of choice from this tale, as Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and John Obi Mikel all saw red after indulging in an impromptu bout of happy-slapping deep into second half injury-time.
Needless to say a number of others decided to get involved in the fracas, despite it having little to do with them, and the game would eventually come to an end with 103 minutes on the clock.
