2014 Football League Cup Final

The 2014 Football League Cup Final will be a football match, due to take place on 2 March 2014 at Wembley Stadium, London. It will be the final match of the 2013–14 Football League Cup, the 54th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League.

The final will be contested between Premier League clubs, Manchester City and Sunderland. Manchester City will appear in their fourth League Cup final, and will make their sixth Wembley visit since 2011. Sunderland will be appearing in their second League Cup final, which will be their first visit to Wembley since 1998.

Only the winner of the final is eligible to qualify for the 2014–15 Europa League. If the competition winner qualifies for European competition via their Premier League 2013-14 position, then the Europa League berth will be given to the club that finishes sixth in the Premier League, not the losing finalist.

Manchester City
Manchester City began their League Cup campaign in the Third Round due to their involvement in the UEFA Champions League. In that round, they were drawn against Football League Championship team and FA Cup holders, Wigan Athletic, who had defeated them 1–0 in the previous season's FA Cup Final. This time, Manchester City won 5–0 at their City of Manchester Stadium, in a game played on 24 September 2013. A clever flick over the defence by Fernandinho to Edin Džeko gave City a one goal lead to take into the half-time interval, while a lucky rebounded shot in the 60th minute gave Stevan Jovetić a debut goal and was the signal for Wigan's collapse, Jesús Navas also scoring his first goal for the club while Yaya Touré and Jovetic's second goal completed the scoring.

In the Fourth Round, Manchester City were drawn away to fellow Premier League team, Newcastle United, on 30 October 2013. With the scores level at 0–0 after ninety minutes, the tie went to extra time, where City managed to score twice, the first a tap-in for Álvaro Negredo before James Milner played Džeko into space as he rounded the keeper for City's second.

The Quarter-finals saw Manchester City drawn away to Championship team, Leicester City, on 17 December 2013. With City coming off the back of a poor run of away form, they sought to take control of the game early and established a lead through Aleksandar Kolarov's free kick in the eighth minute. Two goals from Džeko gave City a strong lead by the hour mark, although a Lloyd Dyer goal sacrificed some honour for the Leicestershire club.

In the two legged semi-final, they were drawn with fellow Premier League team, West Ham United, although the fixtures saw the two teams on opposite runs of form. While City had become a free-scoring unit, not having lost away in six weeks, West Ham came into the first leg on the back of a humiliating 5–0 defeat in the FA Cup against Championship team Nottingham Forest, in the Premier League relegation zone, and with their strikers struggling for goals. Manchester City on the other hand had recently regained second spot in the league, still in all competitions and with their team close to setting the record for the shortest route to 100 goals in all competitions in English top flight history, a landmark subsequently achieved between the two legs.

The pace was set early in the first leg, as Touré lofted a ball from his own half all the way to Negredo in the London club's penalty area, the Spanish striker scoring with a single touch, City taking the lead in the twelfth minute. Negredo earned his second after playing a neat one-two with Džeko through West Ham's midfield and defence, while a marauding run half the way along the pitch's length earned Touré his first of the game and City a three-goal cushion at the half-way mark. Negredo earned his hat-trick at the start of the second half after a series of passes in the West Ham area cut tore their team apart, while Džeko completed the rout with two goals in the final half-hour, both powerful placed shots resulting from crosses from the by-line. As a consequence of this result, West Ham United reduced children's ticket prices to the second leg at the Boleyn Ground.

Manchester City secured their place in the 2014 Football League Cup Final after a 3–0 victory in the second leg at Upton Park on 21 January 2014. Seeking to take any bite out of the game, City put the result out of question with a third-minute goal from Negredo, before Sergio Agüero, returning from injury in his first start since December, scored in the twenty-fourth minute to confirm City's control of a rather more tepid affair. The game was sealed in the 59th minute as Negredo weaved through the Hammers' defence before jinking the ball over the keeper even as the angle appeared to have narrowed too far. The goal brought Negredo to level terms with his team-mate Edin Džeko as competition top scorers on six goals each. The 9–0 aggregate victory was both a competition record for the highest winning margin in the semi-final (a record previously held by West Ham themselves), and a club record for the highest aggregate win in all competitions.

Sunderland
Sunderland made their way to the final after starting in the Second Round, as they were a Premier League team not involved in either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League. In that round, they defeated Football League One side Milton Keynes Dons 4–2 at Sunderland's Stadium of Light. This was despite trailing the League 1 side leading 2-0 with 15 minutes remaining- Jozy Altidore, Connor Wickham (x2) and Adam Johnson scoring Sunderland's late goals. In the third round they drew Football League One side Peterborough United, whom they defeated 2–0 at the Stadium of Light. This game marked Kevin Ball's first win whilst in temporary charge of the Black Cats, following Paolo Di Canio's sacking. In the fourth round, Sunderland (now managed by Gus Poyet) defeated fellow Premier League team, Southampton, again at the Stadium of Light, 2–1.

In the quarter finals, they were drawn with fellow Premier League team Chelsea, once again at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats found themselves 1-0 down after a Frank Lampard shot deflected in off Lee Cattermole in the 46th minute. However, former Chelsea striker Fabio Borini equalised in the 88th minute to take the game to extra time. With penalties looming, Ki Sung-Yeung scored in the last minute of extra time to give Sunderland a 2-1 win to progress into the semi finals.

In the two legged semi-final, they were drawn with reigning Premier League champions, Manchester United. In the first leg, the Black Cats battled to a 2–1 victory at the Stadium of Light: a Ryan Giggs own goal gave the home side the lead on the stroke of half time, Nemanja Vidic levelled for the visitors in the second half before Tom Cleverley fouled Adam Johnson in the box, and Borini converted the penalty. Over 9000 Sunderland fans travelled to Manchester for the second leg on January 22, with the club providing free coaches for their supporters. In the second leg at Old Trafford, Sunderland secured their place in the Final in dramatic fashion. United led 1-0 after 90 minutes thanks to headed goal from former Sunderland loanee Jonny Evans to take the tie to extra time. Due to the away goals rule becoming active in extra time, Sunderland needed to score in extra time to avoid elimination. In the 119th minute a shot from Phil Bardsley (six years to the day he joined Sunderland from United) was pushed into his own goal by United's goalkeeper David De Gea, sparking wild celebrations from the Sunderland players and fans. However, United immediately attacked down the other end and Javier Hernandez scored to make the score 2-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate which sent the game into a penalty shoot-out. Sunderland won 2–1 with only three of the 10 spot-kicks being scored with no English player scoring. Vito Mannone saved two penalties, including the decisive one from Rafael, to send the Black Cats to the new Wembley for the first time.

Build-up
The match is Sunderland's first appearance in a Football League Cup Final since the 1985 Football League Cup Final, where they were defeated by Norwich City 0–1.

Each club received an allocation of 31,580 tickets for the match, priced between £40 and £100.