After a mazy move, George Best scored a remarkable solo goal three minutes into extra time, and a minute later, Brian Kidd, on his 19th birthday, added United's third. Kidd passed to Charlton, a Munich survivor, who scored the fourth goal, and United were crowned European champions for the first time.
On June 8, 1973, Leeds played their final match in Europe at Elland Road, the home of Leeds United. They had been drawn against Czech side Dukla Prague in the second round of the UEFA Cup. The game was goalless after 90 minutes with both teams having shot on target. In the second half, however, it was Dukla who scored through Vladimir Janko and then Gary McAllister gave away a penalty when he handled the ball. This was converted by Lubomir Moravcik, giving him a hat-trick, as Dukla won 4-1 and went through to the next round.
Leeds missed out on some significant honors that season. They failed to reach the FA Cup final or the League Championship play-off final, which would have meant another trip to Wembley. Also, they were knocked out of the European Cup by Norwegian side Viking Stavanger in the third round. However, these losses are overshadowed by the fact that Leeds won the First Division title the previous year and also reached the FA Cup final, so it can be said that they achieved all they set out to do.
As Kevin Brock celebrates, Malcolm Shotton, left, congratulates Jeremy Charles on scoring Oxford United's third goal against QPR in the 1986 League Cup final. Colorsport/Rex/Shutterstock photos The League Cup has a reputation for granting odd teams a taste of triumph on occasion. Here are the remaining fixtures on this year's tournament schedule: Sept. 17 - Oxford United v Liverpool (Granada) - KO 19:45.
Sept. 24 - Wimbledon v Leicester City (Dartford) - KO 12:00.
Oct. 1 - Southend United v Millwall (EOH) - KO 15:00.
Oct. 8 - Scunthorpe United v Oldham Athletic (Gigg Lane) - KO 19:45.
Oct. 15 - Luton Town v Barnet FC (Kenilworth Road) - KO 14:15.
Oct. 22 - Grimsby Town v Bradford City (Blundell Park) - KO 20:00.
Nov. 5 - Gillingham v Watford (Priory Road) - KO 15:00.
Nov. 12 - Newport County v Leeds United (Owen Owen Park) - KO 19:45.
Manchester City won their first league title and became the sixth side to take the Premier League trophy in one of the best finishes to a league season ever. City finished with the same number of points as Manchester United, but their goal difference was eight points higher. Manchester United dominated the season and finished first. However, because they had played one game more, their advantage over City was only three points.
City's championship run began on March 16, 2019 when they beat West Ham 1-0 at home. They never looked like losing the title and went on to win their last six games in a row. Their victory against Brighton on the final day of the season made them champions for 2019.
Their success can be attributed to their excellent squad management by manager Pep Guardiola who has kept most of his players all season long. During the campaign, City have used 29 different players. Only five of those players have started every match: John Stones, Kyle Walker, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus. The other four players have been used as substitutes at some point during the season.
City have also received strong performances from their backup players who have come into the team when needed. It is usually one of the younger players who get a chance due to the presence of many experienced players in the squad. This allows young players time to develop and learn from senior players.
Chelsea were the defending League Cup champions, having defeated Arsenal in the final in 2007. The first goal seemed certain, coming from Didier Drogba, a guy who excelled on the hallowed grass of Wembley and in cup finals in general. However, just before the end of the first half, Arsenal's Robin van Persie scored an amazing free kick to make it 1-1. In the second half, Chelsea dominated but couldn't find a way through the Arsenal defense, which was very well prepared for this kind of attack.
It is worth mentioning that Drogba was injured in the 26th minute and didn't return until after the break. As you can imagine, this didn't help his team at all. However, despite these injuries, Drogba still managed to score two goals in the final against Arsenal.
The final was played on 31 January 2007 and was watched by over 70 million people in Europe and around the world. It was also attended by former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who called it "the best cup competition in the world".
Unfortunately, after winning the League Cup in their first season under José Mourinho, Chelsea went on to lose both the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. This means that they did not win any major title in 2007.
The 1957-58 season, however, was tarnished by the Munich air tragedy, in which eight Manchester United players died on their way home from Belgrade after a 3-3 draw in the quarter-final second leg with Red Star Belgrade. The eventual runners-up, A.C. Milan of Italy, beat the English champions in the semi-finals.
That year's tournament was cancelled out of respect for the victims. It has never been held again. However, the competition is planned to be re-established for the 2008-09 season.
United won its first European trophy the previous year, when it defeated Benfica 4-1 in the final of the 1956-57 European Cup. This was only three years after Portugal had declared itself an independent country and was thus allowed to enter the European Cup. The game was played at Old Trafford because Estádio das Antas in Lisbon could not accommodate all the fans who wanted to see this match. The Portuguese government agreed to pay £150,000 as well as providing two buses to take supporters to and from the game.
Portugal was represented by Sporting CP while Manchester United played its first European match against Benfica. It was decided in a dramatic finale after both teams finished level at 1-1 after extra time. In the penalty shootout, Sporting's goalkeeper Sergio Buscopa saved three penalties to help his side win the shoot-out 5-4 and claim their first ever European title.
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