2015–16 Football League Cup


The 2015–16 Football League Cup was the 56th season of the Football League Cup. It began on 11 August 2015 and concluded on 28 February 2016. It is a knock-out competition for the top 92 football clubs played in English football league system.
Chelsea were the defending champions, having beaten Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 in the previous season's final. However, they were eliminated in the fourth round by Stoke City on penalties.
Manchester City won the final on 28 February, defeating Liverpool 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had finished 1–1 after extra-time.
This was the final season in which the tournament was known as the Football League Cup, as it was renamed the EFL Cup in 2016 after the Football League was rebranded as the English Football League.

Format

The League Cup is open to all 92 members of the Premier League and the Football League and is divided into seven rounds, organised so that 32 teams remain by the third round. Teams involved in European competition during the season receive a bye to the third round, the remaining Premier League teams enter at the second round, and the remaining Football League teams enter at the first round.
The League Cup is played as a knockout cup competition with each tie, except semi-finals, being played as a single match with the winner advancing to the next round. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home, and the team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs advances to the finals. If the score is level after 90 minutes, or if the aggregate score is level for semi-finals, then thirty minutes of extra time is played, divided into two fifteen-minutes halves. If the aggregate scores in semi-finals are still level at the end of extra time the tie shall be decided by goals scored away from home counting twice, according to away goals rule. If the tie has not been decided during extra time, it will be decided by penalty shoot-out.
In the first five rounds, the team drawn first will play at home ground, and in the semi-finals the team drawn first will play the first leg at home. The final shall be played on a neutral ground.

Team allocation

92 teams from the top four English tiers participated.

Distribution

The tournament was organised so that 32 teams remained by the third round. Teams involved in European competition received a bye to the third round, the remaining Premier League teams entered at the second round, and the remaining Football League teams entered at the first round.
Clubs entering in this roundClubs advancing from previous round
First round

  • N/A
    • Second round
  • 36 winners from first round
    • Third round
    • 8 Premier League clubs
  • 24 winners from second round
    • Fourth round
    • No other entries
  • 16 winners from third round
    • Fifth round
    • No other entries
  • 8 winners from fourth round
    • Semi-finals
    • No other entries
  • 4 winners from fifth round
    • Final
    • No other entries
  • 2 winners from semi-finals

    • Teams

    The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round :
    The schedule was as follows.
    Note: Matches are played the week commencing on dates above, except the final which is fixed on the 28 February 2017.

    First round

    Seeding

    A total of 72 teams played in the first round: 24 teams from League Two, 24 teams from League One, and 24 teams from the Championship. The draw for the first round was held on 16 June 2015.

    Matches

    The matches were played in the week commencing 10 August 2015.

    Second round

    Seeding

    A total of 48 teams play in the second round: 12 teams which enter in this round, and the 36 winners of the first round. The 12 teams entering this round are the teams from the 2015–16 Premier League not involved in any European competition. The draw for the second round was held on 13 August 2015.

    Matches

    The matches were played in the week commencing 24 August 2015.

    Third round

    Teams

    A total of 32 teams play in the third round: 8 teams which enter in this round, and the 24 winners of the second round. The 8 teams entering this round are the teams from the 2015–16 Premier League involved in European competition in the 2015–16 season. There was no seeding in this round. The lowest ranked team in this round is Carlisle United who play in the Football League Two in the fourth division of English football.

    Matches

    The matches were played in the week commencing 21 September 2015.

    Fourth round

    Teams

    A total of 16 teams play in the fourth round, all winners of the third round. There is no seeding in this round. The draw for the fourth round was held on 23 September 2015 after the North London derby. The lowest ranked teams in this round are Hull City, Middlesbrough, and Sheffield Wednesday who all play in the Football League Championship in the second division of English football.

    Matches

    The matches were played in the week commencing 26 October 2015.

    Fifth round

    Teams

    A total of 8 teams play in the fifth round, all winners of the fourth round. There is no seeding in this round. The draw for the fifth round was held on 28 October after the completion of the fourth round.

    Matches

    The matches were played in the week commencing 30 November 2015. The lowest ranked teams in this round are Hull City, Middlesbrough, and Sheffield Wednesday who all play in the Football League Championship in the second division of English football.

    Semi-finals

    Teams

    A total of four teams played in the Semi-finals, all winners of the fifth round. There was no seeding in this round. The draw for the semi-final was held on 2 December 2015 and all of the teams were from Premier League.

    Matches

    The semi-finals are played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home, and the team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs advances to the finals.

    First leg

    The first leg matches were played on 5 and 6 January 2016.

    Second leg

    The second leg were played on 26 and 27 January 2016.

    Final

    The League Cup Final was held on 28 February 2016 at Wembley Stadium.

    Top goalscorers

    RankPlayerClubGoals
    1 Kevin De BruyneManchester City5
    2 Joe DodooLeicester City4
    2 Dwight GayleCrystal Palace4
    2 Romelu LukakuEverton4
    2 Scott SinclairAston Villa4
    2 Cristhian StuaniMiddlesbrough4
    7 Tom BradshawWalsall3
    7 Jermain DefoeSunderland3
    7 Sadio ManéSouthampton3
    7 Divock OrigiLiverpool3

    Broadcasting rights

    The live television rights for the competition were held by the subscription channel Sky Sports, who have held rights to the competition since 1996–97 apart from 2001-02 when the short-lived ITV Digital had exclusive coverage of that season's League Cup competition as part of the original three year TV deal with The Football League.
    These matches were televised live by Sky Sports:
    RoundLive TV games
    First roundPortsmouth vs Derby County, Doncaster Rovers vs Leeds United
    Second roundLuton Town vs Stoke City, Barnsley vs Everton
    Third RoundAston Villa vs Birmingham City, Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
    Fourth RoundSheffield Wednesday vs Arsenal, Liverpool vs AFC Bournemouth
    Fifth RoundMiddlesbrough vs Everton, Southampton vs Liverpool
    Semi-finalsAll 4 Matches
    FinalLiverpool vs Manchester City