The Carling Cup 2005–06 was the 46th staging of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs. The competition name reflects a sponsorship deal with lager brand Carling.
The competition began on 22 August 2005, and ended with the final on 26 February 2006 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while reconstruction work was still ongoing at Wembley Stadium.
The tournament was won by Manchester United, who beat surprise finalists, Wigan 4–0 in the final, thanks to two goals from Wayne Rooney and one each from Cristiano Ronaldo and Louis Saha. Wigan had only been promoted to the Premier League at the beginning of the season.
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The 72 Football League 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 2004–05 season. Therefore, the clubs relegated from the Premier League in 2005, Norwich City, Crystal Palace and Southampton, were the top seeds, and the clubs newly-promoted to the Football League, Barnet and Carlisle United, were bottom seeds.
| Tie no | Home team | Score1 | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chesterfield | 2–4 | Huddersfield Town | 24 August 2005 |
| 2 | Colchester United | 0–2 | Cardiff City | 24 August 2005 |
| 3 | Derby County | 0–1 | Grimsby Town | 24 August 2005 |
| 4 | Rushden & Diamonds | 0–3 | Coventry City | 24 August 2005 |
| 5 | Torquay United | 0–0 | Bournemouth | 24 August 2005 |
| 0–0 after extra time — Bournemouth win 4 – 3 on penalties | ||||
| 6 | Blackpool | 2–1 | Hull City | 23 August 2005 |
| 7 | Bristol City | 2–4 | Barnet | 23 August 2005 |
| 8 | Burnley | 2–1 | Carlisle United | 23 August 2005 |
| 9 | Bury | 0–3 | Leicester City | 23 August 2005 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 3–0 | Walsall | 23 August 2005 |
| 11 | Cheltenham Town | 5–0 | Brentford | 23 August 2005 |
| 12 | Gillingham | 1–0 | Oxford United | 23 August 2005 |
| 13 | Hartlepool United | 3–1 | Darlington | 23 August 2005 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 0–2 | Yeovil Town | 23 August 2005 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 2–0 | Oldham Athletic | 23 August 2005 |
| 16 | Leyton Orient | 1–3 | Luton Town | 23 August 2005 |
| 17 | Lincoln City | 5–1 | Crewe Alexandra | 23 August 2005 |
| 18 | MK Dons | 0–1 | Norwich City | 23 August 2005 |
| 19 | Mansfield Town | 1–1 | Stoke City | 23 August 2005 |
| 1–1 after extra time — Mansfield Town win 3 – 0 on penalties | ||||
| 20 | Millwall | 2–0 | Bristol Rovers | 23 August 2005 |
| 21 | Northampton Town | 3–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 23 August 2005 |
| 22 | Nottingham Forest | 2–3 | Macclesfield Town | 23 August 2005 |
| 23 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Peterborough United | 23 August 2005 |
| 24 | Preston North End | 1–1 | Barnsley | 23 August 2005 |
| 2–2 after extra time — Barnsley win 5 – 4 on penalties | ||||
| 25 | Reading | 3–1 | Swansea City | 23 August 2005 |
| 26 | Rochdale | 0–5 | Bradford City | 23 August 2005 |
| 27 | Rotherham United | 3–1 | Port Vale | 23 August 2005 |
| 28 | Scunthorpe United | 2–1 | Tranmere Rovers | 23 August 2005 |
| 29 | Sheffield United | 1–0 | Boston United | 23 August 2005 |
| 30 | Shrewsbury Town | 3–2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 23 August 2005 |
| 31 | Stockport County | 2–4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 23 August 2005 |
| 32 | Swindon Town | 1–3 | Wycombe Wanderers | 23 August 2005 |
| 33 | Watford | 3–1 | Notts County | 23 August 2005 |
| 34 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5–1 | Chester City | 23 August 2005 |
| 35 | Wrexham | 0–1 | Doncaster Rovers | 23 August 2005 |
| 36 | Southend United | 0–3 | Southampton | 22 August 2005 |
The 36 winners from the First Round joined the 12 Premier League clubs not participating in European competition in Round Two. The draw was made on 27 August.[2] The matches occurred on 20 and 21 September.
| Tie no | Home team | Score1 | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackburn Rovers | 3–1 | Huddersfield Town | 21 September 2005 |
| 2 | Doncaster Rovers | 1–1 | Manchester City | 21 September 2005 |
| 1–1 after extra time — Doncaster Rovers win 3 – 0 on penalties | ||||
| 3 | Fulham | 5–4 | Lincoln City | 21 September 2005 |
| 4 | Barnet | 2–1 | Plymouth Argyle | 20 September 2005 |
| 5 | Burnley | 3–0 | Barnsley | 20 September 2005 |
| 6 | Crystal Palace | 1–0 | Coventry City | 20 September 2005 |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 2–1 | Macclesfield Town | 20 September 2005 |
| 8 | Charlton Athletic | 3–1 | Hartlepool United | 20 September 2005 |
| 9 | Gillingham | 3–2 | Portsmouth | 20 September 2005 |
| 10 | Grimsby Town | 1–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 September 2005 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 2–1 | Blackpool | 20 September 2005 |
| 12 | Mansfield Town | 1–0 | Southampton | 20 September 2005 |
| 13 | Norwich City | 2–0 | Northampton Town | 20 September 2005 |
| 14 | Reading | 1–0 | Luton Town | 20 September 2005 |
| 15 | Rotherham United | 0–2 | Leeds United | 20 September 2005 |
| 16 | Scunthorpe United | 0–2 | Birmingham City | 20 September 2005 |
| 17 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–4 | West Ham United | 20 September 2005 |
| 18 | Shrewsbury Town | 0–0 | Sheffield United | 20 September 2005 |
| 0–0 after extra time — Sheffield United win 3 – 0 on penalties | ||||
| 19 | Sunderland | 1–0 | Cheltenham Town | 20 September 2005 |
| 20 | Watford | 2–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 20 September 2005 |
| 21 | West Bromwich Albion | 4–1 | Bradford City | 20 September 2005 |
| 22 | Wigan Athletic | 1–0 | Bournemouth | 20 September 2005 |
| 23 | Wycombe Wanderers | 3–8 | Aston Villa | 20 September 2005 |
| 24 | Yeovil Town | 1–2 | Millwall | 20 September 2005 |
The 24 winners from the Second Round joined the eight Premier League clubs participating in European competition in Round Three. The draw was made on 24 September.[3] Matches were played on 25 and 26 October.
| Tie no | Home team | Score1 | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham City | 2–1 | Norwich City | 26 October 2005 |
| 2 | Bolton Wanderers | 1–0 | West Ham United | 26 October 2005 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 0–1 | Leicester City | 26 October 2005 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 1–1 | Charlton Athletic | 26 October 2005 |
| 1–1 after extra time — Charlton Athletic win 5 – 4 on penalties | ||||
| 5 | Everton | 0–1 | Middlesbrough | 26 October 2005 |
| 6 | Grimsby Town | 0–1 | Newcastle United | 26 October 2005 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 4–1 | Barnet | 26 October 2005 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Burnley | 25 October 2005 |
| 9 | Blackburn Rovers | 3–0 | Leeds United | 25 October 2005 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 2–1 | Liverpool | 25 October 2005 |
| 11 | Doncaster Rovers | 2–0 | Gillingham | 25 October 2005 |
| 12 | Fulham | 2–3 | West Bromwich Albion | 25 October 2005 |
| 13 | Mansfield Town | 2–3 | Millwall | 25 October 2005 |
| 14 | Reading | 2–0 | Sheffield United | 25 October 2005 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 0–3 | Arsenal | 25 October 2005 |
| 16 | Wigan Athletic | 3–0 | Watford | 25 October 2005 |
The draw for the Fourth Round was made on 29 October 2005[4] and matches were played on 29 and 30 November. Doncaster caused the shock of the round, beating Aston Villa 3-0.
| 2005-11-30 |
Bolton Wanderers | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Leicester City | Reebok Stadium, Bolton Attendance: 13,067 Referee: Dermot Gallagher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borgetti 104' Vaz Tê 106' |
Williams 110' |
| 2005-11-30 |
Charlton Athletic | 2 – 3 | Blackburn Rovers | The Valley, London Attendance: 14,093 Referee: Peter Walton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambrose 37' Murphy 50' |
Kuqi 75' Thompson 81' Bentley 88' |
| 2005-11-30 |
Manchester United | 3 – 1 | West Brom | Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 48,924 Referee: Mark Clattenburg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronaldo 12' (pen.) Saha 16' O'Shea 56' |
Ellington 77' |
| 2005-11-30 |
Middlesbrough | 2 – 1 | Crystal Palace | Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough Attendance: 10,791 Referee: Howard Webb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viduka 52' Németh 55' |
Queudrue 31' (o.g.) |
| 2005-11-30 |
Wigan Athletic | 1 – 0 | Newcastle United | JJB Stadium, Wigan Attendance: 11,574 Referee: Steve Bennett |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connolly 88' (pen.) |
| 2005-11-29 |
Arsenal | 3 – 0 | Reading | Highbury, London Attendance: 36,167 Referee: Lee Mason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reyes 12' van Persie 42' Lupoli 65' |
| 2005-11-29 |
Doncaster Rovers | 3 – 0 | Aston Villa | Belle Vue, Doncaster Attendance: 10,590 Referee: Mike Dean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McIndoe 20' (pen.) Heffernan 53' Thornton 79' |
| 2005-11-29 |
Millwall | 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) 3 – 4p |
Birmingham City | The New Den, London Attendance: 7,732 Referee: Graham Poll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunne 57' Elliott 116' |
Gray 10' Heskey 102' |
The draw for the quarter finals was made on 3 December 2005[5] and matches were played on 20 and 21 December. The only non-Premier League club, Doncaster Rovers gave Arsenal a scare by drawing 2-2 after extra-time but Arsenal made it through 3-1 on penalties
| 2005-12-21 |
Doncaster Rovers | 2 – 2 | Arsenal | Belle Vue, Doncaster Attendance: 10,006 Referee: Phil Dowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McIndoe 2' Green 104' |
Owusu-Abeyie 63' Gilberto 120' |
| 2005-12-21 |
Middlesbrough | 0 – 1 | Blackburn Rovers | Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough Attendance: 14,710 Referee: Alan Wiley |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickov 90' |
| 2005-12-20 |
Birmingham City | 1 – 3 | Manchester United | St. Andrews, Birmingham Attendance: 20,454 Referee: Mark Halsey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarosik 75' | Saha 46', 63' Park 50' |
| 2005-12-20 |
Wigan Athletic | 2 – 0 | Bolton Wanderers | JJB Stadium, Wigan Attendance: 13,401 Referee: Mike Dean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts 40', 45' |
The semi-final draw was made in December 2005 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 ties were played in the weeks beginning 9 January and 23 January 2006.
| 2006-01-10 19:45 |
Wigan Athletic | 1 – 0 | Arsenal | JJB Stadium, Wigan Attendance: 12,181 Referee: Howard Webb (S. Yorkshire) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scharner 78' |
| 2006-01-11 20:00 |
Blackburn Rovers | 1 – 1 | Manchester United | Ewood Park, Blackburn Attendance: 24,348 Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pedersen 35' | Saha 30' |
| 2006-01-24 19:45 |
Arsenal | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Wigan Athletic | Highbury Stadium, London Attendance: 37,086 Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry 65' van Persie 108' |
Roberts 119' |
Score level at 2-2 on aggregate. Wigan win on away goals rule.
| 2006-01-25 20:00 |
Manchester United | 2 – 1 | Blackburn Rovers | Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 61,637 Referee: Graham Poll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| van Nistelrooy 8' Saha 51' |
S. Reid 32' |
Manchester United win 3–2 on aggregate
The 2006 Carling Cup Final was played on 24 February 2006 and was contested between Premier League teams Wigan Athletic and Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The favourites Manchester United won the game comfortably 4-0 in normal time.
| 2006-02-26 15:00 |
Manchester United | 4 – 0 | Wigan Athletic | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 66,866 Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooney 33', 61' Saha 55' Ronaldo 59' |
(Report) |
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