| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 92 |
| Defending champions | Stoke City |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tottenham Hotspur(2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Norwich City |
The1972–73 Football League Cup was the 13th season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs. The tournament started on 15 August 1972 and ended with the final at Wembley on 3 March 1973.[1]
Tottenham Hotspur won the tournament after defeatingNorwich City in the final atWembley Stadium, London.
Of the 92 teams, 36 received abye to the second round (teams ranked 1st–36th in the1971–72 Football League) and the other 56 played in the first round. Semi-finals weretwo-legged.
| Round | Main date | Fixtures | Clubs | New entries this round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Replays | ||||
| First Round | 16 August 1972 | 28 | 8 | 92 → 64 | 56 (teams ranked 15th–22nd in Second Division; all Third and Fourth Division) |
| Second Round | 5 September 1972 | 32 | 8 | 64 → 32 | 36 (teams ranked 1st–14th in Second Division; all First Division) |
| Third Round | 3 October 1972 | 16 | 8 | 32 → 16 | none |
| Fourth Round | 31 October 1972 | 8 | 1 | 16 → 8 | none |
| Fifth Round | 21 November 1972 | 4 | 2 | 8 → 4 | none |
| Semi-finals | December 1972 – January 1973 | 4 | 0 | 4 → 2 | none |
| Final | 3 March 1973 | 1 | 0 | 2 → 1 | none |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Rovers | 3–1 | Cardiff City | 22 August 1972 |
| Chesterfield | 5–0 | Scunthorpe United | 23 August 1972 |
| Fulham | 1–1[2] | Reading | 23 August 1972 |
| Grimsby Town | 2–0 | Barnsley | 22 August 1972 |
| Newport County | 3–0 | Swansea City | 22 August 1972 |
| Stockport County | 1–1[2] | Bradford City | 21 August 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford City | 0–2 | Stockport County | 28 August 1972 |
| Reading | 0–1 | Fulham | 28 August 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | 1–1[2] | Bournemouth | 11 September 1972 |
| Chester City | 2–2[2] | Southampton | 13 September 1972 |
| Liverpool | 5–1 | Carlisle United | 19 September 1972 |
| Luton Town | 1–1[2] | Birmingham City | 13 September 1972 |
| Manchester United | 3–1 | Oxford United | 12 September 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham City | 1–0 | Luton Town | 19 September 1972 |
| Bournemouth | 1–2 | Blackpool | 18 September 1972 |
| Southampton | 2–0 | Chester City | 20 September 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 5–0 | Rotherham United | 3 October 1972 |
| Aston Villa | 1–1 | Leeds United | 4 October 1972 |
| Birmingham City | 2–1 | Coventry City | 3 October 1972 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–1 | Manchester United | 3 October 1972 |
| Bury | 2–0 | Manchester City | 3 October 1972 |
| Derby County | 0–0 | Chelsea | 4 October 1972 |
| Hull City | 1–2 | Norwich City | 3 October 1972 |
| Ipswich Town | 1–2 | Stoke City | 3 October 1972 |
| Middlesbrough | 1–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 October 1972 |
| Millwall | 2–0 | Chesterfield | 3 October 1972 |
| Newcastle United | 0–3 | Blackpool | 4 October 1972 |
| Sheffield United | 0–0 | Charlton Athletic | 3 October 1972 |
| Southampton | 1–3 | Notts County | 3 October 1972 |
| Stockport County | 2–1 | West Ham United | 4 October 1972 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1–1 | Liverpool | 3 October 1972 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 4 October 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Athletic | 2–2[2] | Sheffield United | 10 October 1972 |
| Chelsea | 3–2 | Derby County | 9 October 1972 |
| Leeds United | 2–0 | Aston Villa | 11 October 1972 |
| Liverpool | 2–1[2] | West Bromwich Albion | 10 October 1972 |
| Manchester United | 1–2 | Bristol Rovers | 11 October 1972 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 0–0[2] | Middlesbrough | 11 October 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield United | 1–0[2] | Charlton Athletic | 23 October 1972 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–1[2] | Middlesbrough | 30 October 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | 2–0 | Birmingham City | 31 October 1972 |
| Bury | 0–1 | Chelsea | 31 October 1972 |
| Liverpool | 2–2 | Leeds United | 31 October 1972 |
| Notts County | 3–1 | Stoke City | 31 October 1972 |
| Sheffield United | 1–2 | Arsenal | 31 October 1972 |
| Stockport County | 1–5 | Norwich City | 1 November 1972 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 | Millwall | 1 November 1972 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4–0 | Bristol Rovers | 31 October 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds United | 0–1 | Liverpool | 22 November 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 0–3 | Norwich City | 21 November 1972 |
| Chelsea | 3–1 | Notts County | 22 November 1972 |
| Liverpool | 1–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 December 1972 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–1 | Blackpool | 21 November 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | 0–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 28 November 1972 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3–1 | Liverpool | 6 December 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 0–2 | Norwich City | 13 December 1972 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 December 1972 |
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date | Agg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich City | 1–0 | Chelsea | 3 January 1973 | 3–0[3] |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–2[2] | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 December 1972 | 4–3 |
The final was held atWembley Stadium, London on 3 March 1973.
The1973 Football League Cup Final was won byTottenham Hotspur. Spurs beatNorwich City 1–0 atWembley Stadium,Ralph Coates with the goal.
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | Norwich City |
|---|---|---|
| Coates |
Tottenham Hotspur | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Norwich City |
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