2003–04 Football League Cup
The 2003–04 Football League Cup (known as the Carling Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 44th staging of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs. The competition name reflects a sponsorship deal with lager brand Carling.
| Carling Cup, League Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 92 |
| Defending champions | Liverpool |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Middlesbrough (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Bolton Wanderers |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 93 |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Juan Pablo Ángel (7 goals) |
The competition began in August 2003 and ended with the final on 29 February 2004. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff hosted the final match, as it had done since 2001 as the reconstruction was still taking place on Wembley Stadium in London.
The winners were Middlesbrough who beat Bolton Wanderers in the final 2-1 and collected their first major piece of silverware in their history and as a result of their victory qualified for European football for the first time. Joseph Desire-Job gave Middlesbrough the lead with just 2 minutes gone and a Bolo Zenden penalty five minutes later doubled their advantage. Kevin Davies pulled a goal back in the 21st minute but Middlesbrough held on. It was to be until 2008 when another English manager won a domestic tournament when Harry Redknapp (then at Portsmouth) lifted the FA Cup.