The 2019 EFL Trophy Final was a football match played 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 original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

on 31 March 2019. It decided the winners of the

2018–19 EFL Trophy The 2018–19 EFL Trophy, known as the Checkatrade Trophy for sponsorship reasons, was the 36th season in the history of the competition, a knock-out tournament for English football clubs in League One and League Two of the English football syste ...

, the 35th edition of the competition, a knock-out tournament for the 48 teams in

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

and

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

and 16 category one academy sides. The Final was contested by

sides

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and Sunderland, of which the winner received £100,000 and the Runners-Up received £50,000. This was the first Trophy final pitting two

English football champions The English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English men's football, which since 1992–93 is the Premier League. Following the codification of professional football by the Football Association in 1885, the Footba ...

against each other in 31 years. It was also the first EFL Trophy Final to be contested by two former

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

clubs. The Portsmouth team used Wembley's West changing room, while Sunderland used the East. A coin toss decided that Sunderland had first choice on kit selection. This meant Portsmouth played in blue away socks to avoid clashing with Sunderland's first choice red socks. Portsmouth won the final after coming from one goal behind with English forward Oliver Hawkins scoring the winning penalty kick in the shootout to hand Portsmouth their first cup trophy since the 2008 FA Cup. Portsmouth centre back, Matthew Clarke, was named man of the match. The game was attended by 85,021 people, making it the highest attended match in the UK and the second highest in Europe that weekend. It set a new attendance record for the Football League Trophy, surpassing the 1988 final.

Route to the final

Portsmouth

Sunderland

Match

References

{{Sunderland A.F.C. matches

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Events at Wembley Stadium Trophy Final Efl Trophy Final 2019 Efl Trophy Final 2019 Efl Trophy Final Efl Trophy Final Football League Trophy Final 2019