| League Cup Worthington Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 92 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tottenham Hotspur(3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Leicester City |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Gianluca Vialli (6 goals) |
The1998–99 Football League Cup (known as theWorthington Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 39th staging of theFootball League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92football clubs.
The competition began on 11 August 1998, and ended with the final on 21 March 1999, held atWembley Stadium.
The tournament was won byTottenham Hotspur, who beatLeicester City 1–0 in the final, thanks to anAllan Nielsen goal in the last minute of normal time.[1]
The 72First,Second andThird Division clubs compete from the First Round. Each section is divided equally into a pot of seeded clubs and a pot of unseeded clubs. Clubs' rankings depend upon their finishing position in the1997–98 season.
1 Team at home in the 1st leg is denoted as the home team
The 36 winners from the First Round joined the 12Premier League clubs not participating in European competition in Round Two. First leg matches were played on 15 and 16 September, second leg matches were played on 22 and 23 September.
1 Team at home in the 1st leg is denoted as the home team
The 24 winners from the Second Round joined the 8Premiership clubs participating in European competition in Round Three. Matches were played on 27 and 28 October.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnsley | 2–1 | Bournemouth | 27 October 1998 |
| 2 | Charlton Athletic | 1–2 | Leicester City | 27 October 1998 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 3–1 | Fulham | 27 October 1998 |
| 4 | Luton Town | 2–0 | Coventry City | 27 October 1998 |
| 5 | Northampton Town | 1–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 October 1998 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 1–1 | Bolton Wanderers | 27 October 1998 |
| After extra time — Bolton Wanderers win 3–1 on penalties | ||||
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 3–3 | Cambridge United | 27 October 1998 |
| After extra time — Nottingham Forest win 4–3 on penalties | ||||
| 8 | Sunderland | 2–1 | Grimsby Town | 27 October 1998 |
| 9 | Tranmere Rovers | 0–1 | Newcastle United | 27 October 1998 |
| 10 | Birmingham City | 1–2 | Wimbledon | 28 October 1998 |
| 11 | Chelsea | 4–1 | Aston Villa | 28 October 1998 |
| 12 | Crewe Alexandra | 0–1 | Blackburn Rovers | 28 October 1998 |
| 13 | Derby County | 1–2 | Arsenal | 28 October 1998 |
| 14 | Leeds United | 1–0 | Bradford City | 28 October 1998 |
| 15 | Manchester United | 2–0 | Bury | 28 October 1998 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 2–3 | Everton | 28 October 1998 |
Matches were played on 10 and 11 November.
| Bolton Wanderers | 1–2 | Wimbledon |
|---|---|---|
Jensen 52' | Gayle 16' Kennedy 63' |
| Luton Town | 1–0 | Barnsley |
|---|---|---|
| Gray 81' |
| Leicester City | 2–1 | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
| Izzet 88' Parker 90' (pen.) | Kewell 17' |
| Manchester United | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Solskjær 57',60' | Stone 68' |
| Newcastle United | 1–1(a.e.t.) 2–4p | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Shearer 9' | Sherwood 30' |
The four matches were played on 1, and 2 December.
| Sunderland | 3–0 | Luton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson 40' (o.g.) Bridges 89'McCann 90' |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3–1 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Armstrong 48',55' Ginola 86' | Sheringham 71' |
The semi-final draw was made in December 1998 after the conclusion of the quarter finals. Unlike the other rounds, the semi-final ties were played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The first leg matches were played on 26 and 27 January 1999, the second leg matches were played on 16 and 17 February 1999. It was a narrow victory for Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City at the expense of Wimbledon and Sunderland, respectively, giving Tottenham the first chance of their major trophy–and place in Europe–foreight years, while Leicester had reached their second final in three seasons.
| Sunderland | 1–2 | Leicester City |
|---|---|---|
| McCann 75' | Cottee 30',62' |
Tottenham Hotspur win 1-0 on aggregate
| Leicester City | 1–1 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Cottee 54' | Quinn 34' |
Leicester City win 3-2 on aggregate
The 1999 Worthington Cup Final was played on 21 March 1999 and was contested betweenTottenham Hotspur andLeicester City atWembley Stadium. Tottenham won the match 1–0 thanks to a last minuteAllan Nielsen header.