The 2000–01 Football League Cup (known as the Worthington Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 41st season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs. The competition name reflects a sponsorship deal with Worthington Brewery.
The competition began on 22 August 2000, and ended with the final on 25 February 2001 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as Wembley Stadium was in the process of being rebuilt.
The tournament was won by Liverpool, who beat Birmingham City 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw after extra-time. Robbie Fowler put Liverpool in front after half an hour but a Darren Purse penalty salvaged the game for Birmingham in the final minute of normal time. This was the first of three trophies Liverpool would win during the season, the others being the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup.
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The 70 First, Second and Third 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 the 1999–2000 season. Therefore, the clubs relegated from the Premier League in 2000, Wimbledon, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday, were the top seeds, and the club newly-promoted to the Third Division, Kidderminster Harriers, were bottom seeds. The first legs took place on 22 and 23 August and the second legs on 5 and 6 September.
The 35 winners from the First Round joined the Premier League clubs not participating in European competition. The ties were played over two legs, with the first legs from 19 to 20 September and the second legs on 26 and 27 September. Two second leg matches were played on 2 October.
| Tie no | Home team | (1st Leg) (2nd Leg) Aggregate |
Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grimsby Town | (3-2) (0-2) 3-4 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 2 | Everton | (1-1) (1-1) 2-2 |
Bristol Rovers |
| After extra time — Bristol Rovers win 4 – 2 on penalties | |||
| 3 | Manchester City | (1-1) (4-2) 5-3 |
Gillingham |
| 4 | Newcastle United | (2-0) (1-1) 3-1 |
Leyton Orient |
| 5 | Southampton | (2-1) (3-1) 5-2 |
Mansfield Town |
| 6 | Stoke City | (2-1) (3-4) 5-5 |
Charlton Athletic |
| Stoke City win on away goals | |||
| 7 | Barnsley | (4-0) (3-0) 7-0 |
Crewe Alexandra |
| 8 | Blackburn Rovers | (4-0) (1-1) 5-1 |
Portsmouth |
| 9 | Brentford | (0-0) (0-2) 0-2 |
Tottenham Hotspur |
| 10 | Burnley | (2-2) (1-1) 3-3 |
Crystal Palace |
| Crystal Palace win on away goals | |||
| 11 | Chesterfield | (1-0) (0-4) 1-4 |
Fulham |
| 12 | Darlington | (0-1) (2-7) 2-8 |
Bradford City |
| 13 | Derby County | (1-2) (4-2) 5-4 |
West Bromwich Albion |
| 14 | Wimbledon | (0-0) (2-1) 2-1 |
Wigan Athletic |
| 15 | Middlesbrough | (2-1) (3-1) 5-2 |
Macclesfield Town |
| 16 | Millwall | (2-0) (0-5) 2-5 |
Ipswich Town |
| 17 | Norwich City | (3-3) (5-0) 8-3 |
Blackpool |
| 18 | Notts County | (1-3) (2-0) 3-3 |
Watford |
| Watford win on away goals | |||
| 19 | Oldham Athletic | (1-3) (1-5) 2-8 |
Sheffield Wednesday |
| 20 | Preston North End | (1-3) (1-4) 2-7 |
Coventry City |
| 21 | Sheffield United | (3-0) (1-0) 4-0 |
Colchester United |
| 22 | Sunderland | (3-0) (2-1) 5-1 |
Luton Town |
| 23 | Tranmere Rovers | (1-1) (1-0) 2-1 |
Swindon Town |
| 24 | Walsall | (0-1) (1-1) 1-2 |
West Ham United |
| 25 | Wycombe Wanderers | (3-4) (0-1) 3-5 |
Birmingham City |
The 25 winners from the Second Round joined the Premier League clubs participating in European competition in Round Three. Matches were played on 31 October and 1 November.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 1–2 | Ipswich Town | 1 November 2000 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 0–1 | Manchester City | 1 November 2000 |
| 3 | Derby County | 3–0 | Norwich City | 1 November 2000 |
| 4 | Fulham | 3–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 November 2000 |
| 5 | Leicester City | 0–3 | Crystal Palace | 1 November 2000 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 1–1 | Chelsea | 1 November 2000 |
| Liverpool win 2–1 after extra time | ||||
| 7 | Newcastle United | 4–3 | Bradford City | 1 November 2000 |
| 8 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–1 | Sheffield United | 1 November 2000 |
| Sheffield Wednesday win 2–1 after extra time | ||||
| 9 | Southampton | 0–1 | Coventry City | 1 November 2000 |
| 10 | Stoke City | 3–2 | Barnsley | 1 November 2000 |
| 11 | Bristol Rovers | 1–2 | Sunderland | 31 October 2000 |
| 12 | Wimbledon | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | 31 October 2000 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–3 | Birmingham City | 31 October 2000 |
| 14 | Tranmere Rovers | 3–2 | Leeds United | 31 October 2000 |
| 15 | Watford | 0–3 | Manchester United | 31 October 2000 |
| 16 | West Ham United | 2–0 | Blackburn Rovers | 31 October 2000 |
The eight matches were played on 28 and 29 November.
| 2000-11-29 |
Birmingham City | 2 – 1 | Newcastle United | St Andrew's, Birmingham Attendance: 18,520 Referee: Steve Bennett |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adebola 31' Johnson 90' |
Dyer 14' |
| 2000-11-29 |
Fulham | 3 – 2 | Derby County | Craven Cottage, London Attendance: 11,761 Referee: Peter Jones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saha 28', 90' Lewis 39' |
Christie 13' Powell 45' |
| 2000-11-29 |
Manchester City | 2 – 1 | Wimbledon | Maine Road, Manchester Attendance: 19,513 Referee: Bill Jordan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanchope 26' Goater 81' |
Roberts 11' |
| 2000-11-29 |
Stoke City | 0 – 8 | Liverpool | Britannia Stadium, Stoke Attendance: 27,109 Referee: Andy D'Urso |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ziege 6' Smicer 26' Babbel 28' Fowler 26', 82', 85' (pen.) Hyypiä 59' Murphy 65' |
| 2001-11-29 |
West Ham United | 1 – 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | Boleyn Ground, London Attendance: 20,853 Referee: Paul Danson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lampard 72' | Morrison 30' Westwood 49' |
| 2000-11-28 |
Crystal Palace | 0 – 0 | Tranmere Rovers | Selhurst Park, London Attendance: 10,271 Referee: David Laws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-11-28 |
Ipswich Town | 2 – 1 | Coventry City | Portman Road, Ipswich Attendance: 19,563 Referee: Paul Durkin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bramble 5' Johnson 65' |
Bellamy 54' (pen.) |
| 2000-11-28 |
Sunderland | 2 – 1
(a.e.t.) |
Manchester United | Stadium of Light, Sunderland Attendance: 47,543 Referee: Mark Halsey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arca 75' Phillips 101' (pen.) |
Yorke 31' |
The four matches were played on 12, 13 and 19 December.
| 2000-12-19 |
Crystal Palace | 2 – 1 | Sunderland | Selhurst Park, London Attendance: 15,945 Referee: Alan Wiley |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forssell 48' Morrison 82' |
Rae 49' |
| 2000-12-19 |
Manchester City | 1 – 2
(a.e.t.) |
Ipswich Town | Maine Road, Manchester Attendance: 31,252 Referee: Graham Poll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goater 10' | Holland 60' Venus 109' |
| 2000-12-13 |
Liverpool | 3 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Fulham | Anfield, Liverpool Attendance: 20,144 Referee: Dermot Gallagher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen 105' Smicer 114' Barmby 120' |
| 2000-12-12 |
Birmingham City | 2 – 0 | Sheffield Wednesday | St Andrew's, Birmingham Attendance: 22,911 Referee: Jeff Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonner 28' Adebola 57' |
The semi-final draw was made in December 2000 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 legs were played on 9 and 10 January and the second legs on 24 and 31 January 2001.
| 2001-01-09 19:45 |
Ipswich Town | 1 – 0 | Birmingham City | Portman Road, Ipswich Attendance: 21,684 Referee: Clive Wilkes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart 45' (p) |
| 2001-01-10 20:00 |
Crystal Palace | 2 – 1 | Liverpool | Selhurst Park, London Attendance: 25,933 Referee: Uriah Rennie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubins 56' Morrison 77' |
Smicer 78' |
| 2001-01-24 20:00 |
Liverpool | 5 – 0 | Crystal Palace | Anfield, Liverpool Attendance: 41,854 Referee: Paul Durkin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smicer 13' Murphy 15' 51' Biscan 18' Fowler 89' |
Liverpool win 6-2 on aggregate.
| 2001-01-31 19:45 |
Birmingham City | 4 – 1
(a.e.t.) |
Ipswich Town | St Andrew's, Birmingham Attendance: 28,624 Referee: Jeff Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horsfield 43' 55' Grainger 103' A. Johnson 116' |
Scowcroft 56' |
Birmingham City win 4–2 on aggregate
The 2001 Worthington Cup Final was played on 25 February 2001 and was contested between First Division side Birmingham City and Premier League team Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Liverpool won the game 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time. Liverpool added the FA Cup and UEFA Cup to their trophy collection.
| 2001-02-25 15:00 |
Birmingham City | 1 – 1 | Liverpool | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,500 Referee: David Elleray |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darren Purse 90' (pen) | Fowler 30' |
Liverpool win 5–4 penalties
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