# 2019–20 EFL Cup
The 2019–20 [EFL Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-cup), known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 60th season of England's secondary knockout cup competition, open to all 92 clubs of the Premier League and the [English Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-football-league), and was won by Manchester City, who beat Aston Villa 2–1 in the final at [Wembley Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/wembley-stadium) on 1 March 2020 to claim the trophy for a third successive season.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report) • [2](https://images.gc.eflservices.co.uk/EFL%20Magazine%20Issue02%20Winter2019.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Winner | Manchester City, beating Aston Villa 2–1 in the final; a third successive Carabao Cup title[1](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report) |
| Final | 1 March 2020, Wembley Stadium; goals from Sergio Agüero and Rodri, with Mbwana Samatta replying for Villa[1](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report) |
| Scale | 92 teams, 93 matches, played from 6 August 2019 to 1 March 2020[3](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html) |
| Format | Straight knockout across seven rounds, with two-legged semi-finals and a Wembley final; the winner qualified for the following season's Europa League[4](https://www.efl.com/competitions/carabao-cup/about-the-carabao-cup/) |
| Runners-up | Aston Villa, chasing a first major trophy since their 1996 League Cup win; the club had won the first League Cup in 1961[1](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report) • [5](https://www.thefa.com/-/media/www-wembleystadium-com/files/spectator-info-guide/2020/18934-wembley-spectator-guide---carabao-cup---v11.ashx) |
| Notable tie | Aston Villa 5–0 Liverpool in the quarter-final, 17 December 2019, against a Liverpool side whose first team was at the Club World Cup in Qatar[6](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/matches/mens-team/results/2019/league-cup) • [7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/carabao-cup-draw-causes-fixture-nightmare-with-chelsea-and-fulham-both-set-for-headaches) |
## Format and entry
The competition began each August and ran as a straight knockout across seven rounds, with all clubs from the EFL and the Premier League taking part and the semi-finals played over two legs.[4](https://www.efl.com/competitions/carabao-cup/about-the-carabao-cup/) The first round opened on 6 August 2019, and the season's 93 matches concluded with the final on 1 March 2020.[3](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html) Premier League clubs involved in European competition entered in the third round, and the EFL seeded that round to keep teams playing in Europe from clashing with one another.[8](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/carabao-cup-round-three-draw-everything-you-need-to-know) The winner earned a place in the subsequent season's Europa League.[4](https://www.efl.com/competitions/carabao-cup/about-the-carabao-cup/)
## Early rounds
The first round, played on 6 and 13 August 2019, paired lower-ranked EFL clubs, with several ties decided on penalties, including Blackpool's 4–2 shootout win over Macclesfield Town and Mansfield Town's 6–5 shootout win over [Morecambe](https://www.edgepedia.org/morecambe).[3](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html) Round two brought in the Premier League clubs not in Europe, and round three the European qualifiers; among the third-round results, Chelsea beat Grimsby Town 7–1, Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 5–0, and Manchester United needed a 5–3 shootout win over Rochdale after a 1–1 draw.[3](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html)
The fourth round produced the season's most remarkable tie. Liverpool and Arsenal drew 5–5 at Anfield on 30 October, with [Divock Origi](https://www.edgepedia.org/divock-origi) scoring twice late for Liverpool and [Gabriel Martinelli](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabriel-martinelli) twice for Arsenal, before Liverpool won the shootout 5–4.[6](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/matches/mens-team/results/2019/league-cup) The quarter-final draw was made on 31 October 2019 by David James and [Zoe Ball](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoe-ball) on BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show.[9](https://football.fandom.com/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_EFL_Cup)
## Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals were played on 17 and 18 December 2019. Aston Villa beat Liverpool 5–0 at [Villa Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/villa-park), with [Conor Hourihane](https://www.edgepedia.org/conor-hourihane), a [Marvelous Nakamba](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvelous-nakamba) own goal credited to M. Boyes, two goals from Jonathan Kodjia, and one from Wesley.[6](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/matches/mens-team/results/2019/league-cup) The tie was scheduled for 17 December at 19:45 GMT because Liverpool faced Aston Villa the day before competing in the Club World Cup semi-final in Qatar, and Liverpool fielded a largely youth team while the first squad was with manager Jürgen Klopp in Qatar.[7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/carabao-cup-draw-causes-fixture-nightmare-with-chelsea-and-fulham-both-set-for-headaches) The other winners were Manchester City, who beat Oxford United 3–1; Leicester City, who won at Everton on penalties after a 2–2 draw; and Manchester United, who beat Colchester United 3–0 at Old Trafford before an attendance of 57,559.[3](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html) • [10](https://fbref.com/en/comps/690/2019-2020/schedule/2019-2020-EFL-Cup-Scores-and-Fixtures)
## Semi-finals
The semi-finals were played over two legs in January 2020. Manchester City beat Manchester United 3–1 in the first leg at [Old Trafford](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-trafford) and lost the return 0–1 at home, going through 3–1 on aggregate.[3](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html) Aston Villa drew 1–1 away to Leicester City and won the second leg 2–1 at Villa Park, advancing 3–2 on aggregate.[3](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html)
## Final
Manchester City met Aston Villa at Wembley on 1 March 2020. [Sergio Agüero](https://www.edgepedia.org/sergio-aguero) opened the scoring after a move involving [Raheem Sterling](https://www.edgepedia.org/raheem-sterling) and [Phil Foden](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-foden), and Rodri added the second from an İlkay Gündoğan corner, before Mbwana Samatta's header before half-time halved the deficit.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report) City held on for a 2–1 win, with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo turning a late Bjorn Engels header against a post in stoppage time.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report) The victory gave City a third successive Carabao Cup and a fourth major domestic trophy in a row, and it was Villa's first major final since their 1996 League Cup win under Brian Little.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report)
## References
1. [Manchester City sink Aston Villa to win third successive Carabao Cup, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/01/aston-villa-manchester-city-carabao-cup-final-match-report)
2. [Carabao Cup, EFL Magazine Issue 02, Winter 2019](https://images.gc.eflservices.co.uk/EFL%20Magazine%20Issue02%20Winter2019.pdf)
3. [English EFL Cup 2019/20, openfootball](https://openfootball.github.io/england/2019-20_eflcup.html)
4. [About the Carabao Cup, The English Football League](https://www.efl.com/competitions/carabao-cup/about-the-carabao-cup/)
5. [Wembley Spectator Guide, Carabao Cup Final 2020, The FA](https://www.thefa.com/-/media/www-wembleystadium-com/files/spectator-info-guide/2020/18934-wembley-spectator-guide---carabao-cup---v11.ashx)
6. [Men's Team, 2019, Carabao Cup, Liverpool FC](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/matches/mens-team/results/2019/league-cup)
7. [Carabao Cup draw causes fixture nightmare, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/carabao-cup-draw-causes-fixture-nightmare-with-chelsea-and-fulham-both-set-for-headaches)
8. [Carabao Cup Round Three draw: Everything you need to know, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/carabao-cup-round-three-draw-everything-you-need-to-know)
9. [2019–20 EFL Cup, Football Wiki](https://football.fandom.com/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_EFL_Cup)
10. [2019-2020 EFL Cup Scores & Fixtures, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/comps/690/2019-2020/schedule/2019-2020-EFL-Cup-Scores-and-Fixtures)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › Domestic cup editions*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license