United v City: Our nine previous League Cup derbies

The Blues have lifted the trophy in four of the last five seasons, with the exception being in 2017 when the Reds won it under Jose Mourinho. City's success in 2019/20 means they have landed seven League Cups in their history, two more than the five United have managed so far.

The head-to-head record between the clubs is pretty even though, with four wins apiece and a draw in nine previous matches, including the two legs of last season's semi-final when the away teams won both games.

We’ve delved into our archives for a look at all of the previous meetings, which usually result in the winner going on to claim the overall prize…

1969/70 Semi: City 2-1 United, United 2-2 City (City 4-3 on aggregate)
The Reds' first-ever League Cup semi-final pitted us against Joe Mercer’s Blues, who had run out 4-0 derby winners at Maine Road three weeks previously, and Colin Bell struck a 13th-minute opener as the home side threatened similar domination early on. Bobby Charlton levelled in the second half, but Francis Lee’s late penalty ensured the Blues held the advantage in the return a fortnight later. Ian Bowyer’s early strike in M16 prompted a quick Reds’ response, via right-back Paul Edwards’s first and only goal for the club. Charlton’s scrambled finish on the hour-mark left the sides deadlocked at 3-3, but Mike Summerbee provided the sting in the tail eight minutes later, tapping home from close range to clear a path for City to win the competition for the first time.

1974/75 Third round: United 1-0 City
The first Manchester derby since the infamous game when our relegation was confirmed the previous April took place in front of a crowd of 55,000 at Old Trafford, with the Reds eager for revenge over our city rivals. The Blues had won four of their previous five at the Theatre of Dreams and must have fancied adding to that coming into the game, given the league placings of the respective sides and their fearsome attacking trio of Rodney Marsh, Summerbee and Bell. Tommy Docherty’s side, with a 17-year-old Arthur Albiston making his debut, had other ideas, though. With 12 minutes left on the clock, Gerry Daly slotted home from the penalty spot for what was the only goal of the game, in the process starting an unbeaten derby record at Old Trafford which would last for an incredible 34 years.

1975/76 Fourth round: City 4-0 United
The sides were paired up once more the following season, with United flying high in the First Division after successfully clinching promotion back to the top tier at the first time of asking. With priorities set on re-establishing ourselves among the league’s elite, Docherty opted to shuffle his pack in defence at Maine Road, with Paddy Roche, Jimmy Nicholl and Tommy Jackson making rare starts. In what was the 100th Manchester derby, our rivals raced into a two-goal lead after 15 minutes, through Dennis Tueart and Joe Royle. Tueart added another on 28 minutes, before Asa Hartford completed the scoring late on. As in 1969, City eventually lifted the trophy at Wembley, although we would go on to finish third, five places above them, in the league.

2009/10 Semi: City 2-1 United, United 3-1 City (Aggregate: 4-3 to United)
With former Reds striker Carlos Tevez inspiring a City comeback victory in the first leg at the Etihad, a big performance was required from United at Old Trafford the following week. The visitors had the better of a quiet first half, but Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick fired home after the break to seemingly put United in the driving seat. Wayne Rooney was then made to regret squandering a glorious opportunity when Tevez flicked in a cross to draw City level 15 minutes from time. With extra-time looming and the crowd growing increasingly anxious, Rooney made amends for his earlier miss, finding space to head home Ryan Giggs’s cross and send Old Trafford into raptures. We’d go on to lift the trophy, beating Aston Villa 2-1 in the final thanks to goals from Michael Owen and Rooney.

2016/17 Fourth round: United 1-0 City
Six years later, the Reds once again knocked out our crosstown rivals on the way to League Cup glory - we went on to beat Southampton in the 2017 final. Our meeting with the Blues – now managed by Pep Guardiola – came much earlier in the competition, in October to be exact. City had won the league fixture at Old Trafford a month previously, but Guardiola made nine changes to his line-up for this encounter, while Jose Mourinho opted to field a full-strength side including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford. That decision was vindicated when Juan Mata tapped home Ibrahimovic’s pull-back 10 minutes into the second half, moments after Pogba had rattled the woodwork. This remains City’s last defeat in the competition.