League Cup, Littlewoods Challenge Cup | |
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Tournament details | |
Country | England Wales |
Teams | 92 |
Final positions | |
Champions | Nottingham Forest (4th title) |
Runner-up | Oldham Athletic |
Tournament statistics | |
Top goal scorer(s) | Andy Ritchie (10) |
The 1989–90 Football League Cup (known as the Littlewoods Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 30th season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs.
The competition began on 21 August 1989, and ended with the final on 29 April 1990 at the Old Wembley Stadium. The cup was won by Nottingham Forest who beat Oldham Athletic in the final, who regained the trophy after winning it the previous season. This was the second time that Nottingham Forest had won the trophy in successive seasons, having won previously in 1978 and 1979.
A total of 56 teams took part in the first round. All of the Third Division and Fourth Division sides entered, with eight of the Second Division clubs also starting in this round. The eight clubs consisted of the three teams promoted from the Third Division and the five teams finishing 17th to 21st in the Second Division from the 1988–89 season. Each tie was played across two legs.
A total of 64 teams took part in the second round, including the 28 winners from round one. The remaining Second Division clubs entered in this round, as well as the 20 sides from the First Division. Each tie was again played across two legs.
A total of 32 teams took part in the third round, all 32 winners from round two. Unlike the previous two rounds, this round was played over one leg. Frank Bunn scores a new League Cup record six goals in Oldham's 7–0 victory over Scarborough.
Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | 1–0 | Liverpool | 25 October 1989 |
Aston Villa | 0–0 | West Ham United | 25 October 1989 |
Crystal Palace | 0–0 | Nottingham Forest | 24 October 1989 |
Derby County | 2–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 25 October 1989 |
Everton | 3–0 | Luton Town | 24 October 1989 |
Exeter City | 3–0 | Blackpool | 25 October 1989 |
Manchester City | 3–1 | Norwich City | 25 October 1989 |
Manchester United | 0–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 October 1989 |
Middlesbrough | 1–1 | Wimbledon | 25 October 1989 |
Newcastle United | 0–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 25 October 1989 |
Oldham Athletic | 7–0 | Scarborough | 25 October 1989 |
Queens Park Rangers | 1–2 | Coventry City | 25 October 1989 |
Southampton | 1–0 | Charlton Athletic | 24 October 1989 |
Sunderland | 1–1 | Bournemouth | 24 October 1989 |
Swindon Town | 3–3 | Bolton Wanderers | 24 October 1989 |
Tranmere Rovers | 3–2 | Millwall | 23 October 1989 |
Everton | 3 – 0 | Luton Town |
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Newell (2) Nevin |
Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Bolton Wanderers | 1–1[1] | Swindon Town | 7 November 1989 |
Bournemouth | 0–1 | Sunderland | 7 November 1989 |
Nottingham Forest | 5–0 | Crystal Palace | 1 November 1989 |
West Ham United | 1–0 | Aston Villa | 8 November 1989 |
Wimbledon | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | 8 November 1989 |
Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Bolton Wanderers | 1–1[1] | Swindon Town | 14 November 1989 |
Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Swindon Town | 2–1[1] | Bolton Wanderers | 20 November 1989 |
A total of 16 teams took part in the fourth round, all 16 winners from round three. Once again this round was played over one leg.
Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Derby County | 2–0 | West Bromwich Albion | 22 November 1989 |
Exeter City | 2–2 | Sunderland | 29 November 1989 |
Manchester City | 0–1 | Coventry City | 22 November 1989 |
Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Everton | 22 November 1989 |
Oldham Athletic | 3–1 | Arsenal | 22 November 1989 |
Swindon Town | 0–0 | Southampton | 29 November 1989 |
Tranmere Rovers | 2–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 November 1989 |
West Ham United | 1–0 | Wimbledon | 22 November 1989 |
Oldham Athletic | 3 – 1 | Arsenal |
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Ritchie 45' Henry |
Quinn 90' |
Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Southampton | 4–2[1] | Swindon Town | 16 January 1990 |
Sunderland | 5–2 | Exeter City | 5 December 1989 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 4–0 | Tranmere Rovers | 29 November 1989 |
The eight winners from the fourth round took part in the fifth round. Once again this round was played over one leg.
Southampton | 2 – 2 | Oldham Athletic |
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Le Tissier pen.' | Ritchie 90' |
West Ham Utd | 1 – 1 | Derby County |
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Dicks | Saunders |
Derby County | 0 – 0 a.e.t. | West Ham Utd |
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As with the first two rounds, the semi-final ties were played over two legs. Holders Nottingham Forest narrowly defeated Coventry City, while West Ham United bowed out in the semi-finals for the second year running, this time at the hands of Oldham Athletic 6–3 on aggregate. Oldham's 6-0 first leg victory all but sealed their first ever appearance in a major final and at Wembley, was a record for a league cup semi-final until Manchester City defeated Burton Albion 9–0 in the first-leg of the semi-final tie in 2019. Five years earlier, in 2014, City had equaled Oldham's record, again at the expense of West Ham, with a 6-0 first-leg semi-final victory, and on that occasion City's 3–0 win in the second leg at Upton Park had set a record for an aggregate victory (9-0) which City themselves surpassed in 2019 with a 1-0 second-leg win at Burton for a 10-0 aggregate semi-final win.
Nottingham Forest | 2 – 1 | Coventry City |
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Clough 36' (pen) Pearce 79' |
Livingstone 72' |
Oldham Athletic | 6 – 0 | West Ham United |
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Adams 12' Ritchie 18' Barrett 33' R. Holden 46' Palmer 70' |
Nottingham Forest won 2–1 on aggregate.
West Ham United | 3 – 0 | Oldham Athletic |
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Martin Dicks pen.' Kelly |
Oldham Athletic won 6–3 on aggregate.