2000 Football League Cup final

2000 Football League Cup Final

Match programme cover
Event	1999–2000 Football League Cup
Leicester City Tranmere Rovers 2 1
Date	27 February 2000
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Man of the Match	Matt Elliott (Leicester City)
Referee	Alan Wilkie (Durham)
Attendance	74,313

The 2000 Football League Cup Final was played between Leicester City, in their third final appearance in four years, and First Division side Tranmere Rovers at Wembley Stadium on 27 February 2000. It was the 34th and last League Cup Final to be played at the original Wembley Stadium.[1] Leicester won 2–1 to become the last team to win the League Cup at the old Wembley.[2][3][4]

Road to the final

Leicester City Round 2, 1st leg: Crystal Palace 3–3 Leicester City Round 2, 2nd leg: Leicester City 4–2 Crystal Palace Round 3: Leicester City 2–0 Grimsby Town Round 4: Leicester City 0–0 Leeds United (Leicester won 4–2 on penalties) Quarter-final: Leicester City 3–3 Fulham (Leicester won 3–0 on penalties) Semi-final, 1st leg: Aston Villa 0–0 Leicester City Semi-final, 2nd leg: Leicester City 1–0 Aston Villa

Tranmere Rovers Round 1, 1st leg: Blackpool 2–1 Tranmere Rovers Round 1, 2nd leg: Tranmere Rovers 3–1 Blackpool Round 2, 1st leg: Tranmere Rovers 5–1 Coventry City Round 2, 2nd leg: Coventry City 3–1 Tranmere Rovers Round 3: Tranmere Rovers 2–0 Oxford United Round 4: Tranmere Rovers 4–0 Barnsley Quarter-final: Tranmere Rovers 2–1 Middlesbrough Semi-final, 1st leg: Bolton Wanderers 0–1 Tranmere Rovers Semi-final, 2nd leg: Tranmere Rovers 3–0 Bolton Wanderers

Match summary

Scott Taylor's successful tackle on Robbie Savage forced the ball out for a corner, and Matt Elliott headed home Leicester's first goal courtesy of a Steve Guppy cross from the right. Leicester came close to scoring a second goal in the 60th minute when Emile Heskey passed the ball to an unmarked Muzzy Izzet in the penalty box, who hesitated and his shot flew wide of the goal. Referee Alan Wilkie later suffered an injury in the right leg in the 62nd minute, and was stretchered off. Phil Richards, the fourth official, was brought on to replace him.[5]

Clint Hill picked up his second booking and was sent off after a deliberate foul on Heskey in the 63rd minute. Several Tranmere players protested but the decision stood. Tranmere, down to ten men, rallied and their persistence paid off when they equalised in the 77th minute when a fine header found its way to an unmarked David Kelly who, after narrowly escaping Matt Elliott's attempted tackle, shot low to the left past goalkeeper Tim Flowers. Yet, just three minutes later, Elliott scored another towering header from another Guppy corner kick from the right, and the League Cup went to Leicester.[6]

Match details

27 February 2000

15:00 GMT

Leicester City	2–1	Tranmere Rovers
Elliott 29', 81'	Report	Kelly 77'

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 74,313

Referee: Alan Wilkie (Durham)

Leicester City

Tranmere Rovers

GK 1 Tim Flowers CB 3 Frank Sinclair CB 18 Matt Elliott (c) CB 4 Gerry Taggart RWB 29 Stefan Oakes  77' LWB 11 Steve Guppy CM 14 Robbie Savage CM 6 Muzzy Izzet CM 7 Neil Lennon CF 27 Tony Cottee  89' CF 9 Emile Heskey Substitutes: GK 22 Pegguy Arphexad DF 15 Phil Gilchrist MF 37 Theodoros Zagorakis MF 24 Andy Impey  77' FW 20 Ian Marshall  89' Manager: Martin O'Neill

GK 13 Joe Murphy RB 30 Reuben Hazell CB 5 Dave Challinor (c) CB 6 Clint Hill  9'  63' LB 33 Gareth Roberts RM 14 Andy Parkinson  66' CM 15 Gary Jones CM 11 Nick Henry LM 7 Alan Mahon CF 9 David Kelly CF 10 Scott Taylor Substitutes: GK 1 John Achterberg DF 31 Steve Yates  66' DF 3 Andy Thompson FW 16 Alan Morgan FW 29 Michael Black Manager: John Aldridge

Man of the Match: Matt Elliott (Leicester City) Assistant referees: Paul Armstrong (Berkshire) Wendy Toms Fourth official: Phil Richards (Lancashire)

Match rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Five named substitutes. Maximum of three substitutions.

References

1. Ross, James M. (29 April 2021). "England - Football League Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
2. "Where are they now? Leicester City's 2000 League Cup winners". fourfourtwo. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
3. "Leicester set sights on Europe". BBC Sport. 27 February 2000. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
4. Johnston, Neil (14 May 2021). "Leicester City: The inside story of La Manga and the Foxes last cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
5. "Leicester triumph at Wembley". BBC Sport. 27 February 2000. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
6. "Leicester 2 - 1 Tranmere". Guardian. 27 February 2000. Retrieved 27 April 2017.