The 1968 Football League Cup Final took place on 2 March 1968 at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. It was the eighth final and the second to be played at Wembley. It was contested between
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
.
Leeds had been
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European Association football, football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecess ...
finalists the previous season, while Arsenal had been a mid-table side of late, and it was their first Wembley appearance since the
1952 FA Cup Final. For both clubs, it was their first League Cup Final. Leeds had conceded just three goals in six matches in their run-up to the final and their defence were on top again in a drab battle for the trophy against Arsenal.
Terry Cooper scored the only goal of the game, hammering home a long range goal after 20 minutes. After that, Leeds shut up shop and a defensive performance saw them out for the rest of the match.
It was the first major trophy of
Don Revie
Donald George Revie OBE (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an England international footballer and manager, best known for his successful spell with Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, which immediately preceded his appointment as England manage ...
's reign at
Elland Road
Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England.
The g ...
and started the most successful period in the club's history. Arsenal reached the League Cup Final
the following year, only to lose again (this time to
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
), but went on to win both domestic and European trophies in the following seasons.
Match facts
Road to Wembley
''Home teams listed first.''
Notes
External links
1968 League Cup Finalat Live Football
Game facts at soccerbase.com
Full Results from the 1968 Football League Cup competitionat soccerbase.com
at The English Football Archive
{{Arsenal F.C. matches
League Cup Final
League Cup Final
League Cup Final
EFL Cup Finals
League Cup Final 1968
League Cup Final 1968
Football League Cup Final