2018–19 EFL Cup
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The 2018–19 EFL Cup was the 59th season of the EFL Cup. Also known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, the competition was open to all 92 clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League. The first round was played on 14 August 2018, ten days after the start of the Football League season.[1] Manchester City successfully defended their title,[2] their first step in becoming the first English team to complete a domestic treble for the football season, as they later won the 2018–19 Premier League and the 2018–19 FA Cup. The final was held at Wembley Stadium in London on 24 February 2019.[3]
| Carabao Cup, League Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | 14 August 2018 – 24 February 2019 |
| Teams | 92 |
| Defending champions | Manchester City |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Manchester City (6th title) |
| Runner-up | Chelsea |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 93 |
| Goals scored | 285 (3.06 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,277,957 (13,741 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Gabriel Jesus (5 goals) |
In June 2018, it was announced that there would be a number of changes to the competition after a vote by all of the English Football League clubs at their annual EFL Summer Conference in Portugal.[4][5] Extra time would be scrapped for all rounds except for the final with the tie progressing straight to a penalty shoot-out in the event of a draw after 90 minutes.[6] This was introduced in order to reduce "additional fatigue issues".[6] The ABBA penalty system trial would also be scrapped and the format for a penalty shoot-out would return to the ABAB format.[6] Seeding was removed for the first two rounds however the first two rounds remained organised on a regional basis.[6] Video assistant referees (VAR) were also authorised for use at matches played at Premier League club grounds.[6]
All 92 clubs in the Premier League and English Football League entered the season's EFL Cup. Access was distributed across leagues.[7]
In the first round, the draw was regionalised into northern and southern clubs with 22 Championship clubs and all League One and League Two clubs entering in this round.[7]
The following round, the two remaining Championship clubs Swansea City and Stoke City (who finished 18th and 19th respectively in the 2017–18 Premier League season), and the Premier League clubs not involved in either the Champions League or Europa League entered.[7]
Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all received byes to the third round owing to their participation in European competitions.[8]
The first round draw was held on 15 June 2018 in Vietnam.[7] The second round draw was held on 16 August 2018 in England, drawn by Mick McCarthy and Chris Waddle.[9]
| Clubs entering in this round | Clubs advancing from previous round | No of games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round (70 clubs) |
|
|
35 |
| Second round (50 clubs) |
|
|
25 |
| Third round (32 clubs) |
|
|
16 |
| Fourth round (16 clubs) |
|
|
8 |
| Fifth round (8 clubs) |
|
|
4 |
| Semi-finals (4 clubs) |
|
|
2 (over 2 legs each) |
| Final (2 clubs) |
|
|
1 |
A total of 70 clubs played in the first round: 24 from League Two (tier 4), 24 from League One (tier 3), and 22 from the Championship (tier 2). The draw for this round was split on a geographical basis into 'northern' and 'southern' sections. Teams were drawn against a team from the same section. The draw was made on 15 June 2018.[10]
| 14 August 2018 | Oxford United (3) | 2–0 | Coventry City (3) | Oxford |
| 19:45 BST | Browne 39' Whyte 50' |
Report | Stadium: Kassam Stadium Attendance: 3,551 Referee: James Linington |
A total of 50 clubs played in the second round with 13 teams from the Premier League joining in this round (teams without international liabilities), also the 2 remaining Championship teams entered. The draw for this round was split on a geographical basis into 'northern' and 'southern' sections. Teams were drawn against a team from the same section.
A total of 32 teams played in this round. The seven remaining Premier League clubs involved in European competition joined the 25 match-winners from the second round.[11] The draw was held on 30 August 2018.[12]
The fourth round draw took place on 29 September 2018.[14]
The quarter-final draw took place on 31 October and was made by Jamie Redknapp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.[16]
The semi-final draw took place on 19 December and was made by Peter Crouch and Piers Morgan.[17]
The final was played at Wembley Stadium.
These matches were televised live in the UK and Ireland by Sky Sports:
| Round | Matches |
|---|---|
| First round | Yeovil Town vs Aston Villa, Sunderland vs Sheffield Wednesday |
| Second round | AFC Wimbledon vs West Ham United, Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United |
| Third round | Manchester United vs Derby County, Liverpool vs Chelsea |
| Fourth round | Burton Albion vs Nottingham Forest, Chelsea vs Derby County |
| Quarter-finals | Leicester City vs Manchester City, Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur |
| Semi-finals | All games |
| Final |
- ^ This match was moved to Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, as neither Wembley Stadium nor Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were available to host.[13]
- ^ This match was postponed on 28 October, following the 2018 Leicester helicopter crash and death of Leicester City's chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.[15]
- ^ "2018/19 Season Fixtures Release Date Confirmed". Coventry City FC. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ "Manchester City win Carabao Cup on penalties after Chelsea's Kepa chaos". Guardian. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Carabao Cup to use VAR at all Premier League grounds next season". Metro. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ "Extra-time to be scrapped in Carabao Cup while seeding in first two rounds is also dropped". Plymouth Herald. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ "2018/19: Carabao Cup rule changes". The Football League. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Carabao Cup: Extra time scrapped & VAR to be used at Premier League grounds". BBC Sport. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Carabao Cup: Vietnam to host 2018–19 first-round draw". BBC Sport. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ^ "Premier League and Football League: Ups & downs and European qualification". BBC Sport. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ "Carabao Cup second-round draw: West Ham to visit League One AFC Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Carabao Cup: Round One Draw Confirmed". EFL.com. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Carabao Cup third-round draw: Liverpool drawn at home to Chelsea". BBC Sport. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ "Carabao Cup Round Three Draw Confirmed". The English Football League. 30 August 2018.
- ^ "Carabao Cup update". Tottenham Hotspur. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ "When is the Carabao Cup 4th round draw and what TV channel is it on?". Metro. 27 September 2018.
- ^ "Club Statement: Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha". Leicester City. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Carabao Cup: Arsenal to host Spurs in quarter-finals". BBC Sport. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Carabao Cup semi-finals: Manchester City face Burton, Tottenham draw Chelsea". BBC. 19 December 2018.