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The 2000–01 Football League Cup (known as the Worthington Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 41st staging of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs.
| Worthington Cup, League Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country |  England Wales |
| Teams | 92 |
| Defending champions | Leicester City |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Liverpool (6th title) |
| Runner-up | Birmingham City |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Robbie Fowler (6 goals) |
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 had been closed for a rebuild.
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 edition was the last with two-legged ties in the first two rounds.
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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 20th place from the Premier League in 2000, Watford was the top seed, 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.
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The 35 winners from the first round joined the Premier League clubs not participating in European competition along with Wimbledon and Sheffield Wednesday, the top two relegated teams from Premier League the last season. 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 |
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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.
| Birmingham City | 2–1 | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
Adebola  31' Johnson 90' |
Dyer 14' |
| Manchester City | 2–1 | Wimbledon |
|---|---|---|
| Wanchope 26' Goater 81' |
Roberts 11' |
| West Ham United | 1–2 | Sheffield Wednesday |
|---|---|---|
| Lampard 72' |
Morrison 30' Westwood 49' |
| Crystal Palace | 0 – 0
(a.e.t.) 6 – 5p | Tranmere Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Ipswich Town | 2–1 | Coventry City |
|---|---|---|
| Bramble 5' Johnson 65' |
Bellamy 54' (pen.) |
| Sunderland | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Arca 75' Phillips 101' (pen.) |
Yorke 31' |
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The four matches were played on 12, 13 and 19 December.
| Crystal Palace | 2–1 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Forssell 48' Morrison 82' |
Rae 49' |
| Manchester City | 1 – 2 (a.e.t.) | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
| Goater 10' |
Holland 60' Venus 109' |
| Birmingham City | 2–0 | Sheffield Wednesday |
|---|---|---|
| Sonner 28' Adebola 57' |
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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.
First leg
| Ipswich Town | 1–0 | Birmingham City |
|---|---|---|
| Stewart 45' (pen.) |
Second leg
Liverpool win 6–2 on aggregate.
| Birmingham City | 4 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
| Horsfield 43', 55' Grainger 103'A. Johnson 116' |
Scowcroft 56' |
Birmingham City win 4–2 on aggregate
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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 win 5–4 penalties
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