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February 26, 2015


One-City Finals  (Sky Sports)

Harry Kane and Branislav IvanovicChelsea and Tottenham meet in the Sky Live Capital One Cup final on Sunday - but it's not the first time the League Cup has been contested by two clubs from one city.

This weekend will see the fifth single-city final in the competition, although two came in two years in 2007 and 2008, including the previous League Cup final meeting between Chelsea and Tottenham.

Here, we take a look at the previous times two teams from one city have reached the final…

1963 - Birmingham v Aston Villa (Birmingham won 3-1 on aggregate)

The first one-city League Cup final came in just the third edition, when Aston Villa - winners of the inaugural tournament in 1960/61 - took on local rivals Birmingham in a two-legged contest. Birmingham grabbed a 3-1 lead in the first game at St Andrew’s, with Ken Leek (2) and Jimmy Bloomfield on target for the hosts, before securing a 0-0 at Villa to lift their first major trophy. Villa have since gone on to win the League Cup a total of five times, while Blues had to wait until 2011 - and a Wojciech Szczesny-Laurent Koscielny calamity in the Arsenal defence - to add to their 1963 win.

1984 - Liverpool 1-0 Everton, Maine Road (replay)

After a goalless Wembley final - despite 30 minutes of extra-time - the 1984 Milk Cup final between Liverpool and Everton was replayed at Maine Road three days later. Eventually Graeme Souness broke the deadlock, slotting past Everton 'keeper Neville Southall, and the Reds held on to secure their fourth-straight League Cup triumph. Everton's wait for a League Cup title goes on, but their neighbours have now lifted the trophy on eight occasions.

2007 - Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal, Millennium Stadium

The incident-packed 2007 League Cup final - the last to be played at the Millennium Stadium - will be long remembered. Chelsea eventually emerged victorious thanks to a late Didier Drogba header but the game was marred by players fighting on the pitch, which led to three sendings off and a retrospective ban, and John Terry being knocked out by a kick to the face. Theo Walcott had opened the scoring for Arsenal before Drogba's double secured the second Chelsea League Cup win under Jose Mourinho's reign.

2008 - Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea (aet), Wembley

Chelsea were unable to secure back-to-back League Cup crowns when the final returned to Wembley 12 months later, losing out to Juande Ramos' Tottenham. Drogba became the first player to score in three League Cup finals when he gave Chelsea a first-half lead but Dimitar Berbatov levelled from the spot after Wayne Bridge handled in the area before Petr Cech punched the ball into Jonathan Woodgate's head for a bizarre extra-time winner. The success was Tottenham's fourth triumph in the League Cup - although they have also finished runners-up on a further three occasions.

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