2009–10 Football League Cup
The 2009–10 Football League Cup (known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling) was the 50th season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for the top 92 football clubs played in English football league system. Manchester United successfully defended their League Cup title after defeating Aston Villa by 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium on 28 February 2010.
| Carling Cup, League Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | 10 August 2009 – 28 February 2010 |
| Teams | 92 |
| Defending champions | Manchester United |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Manchester United (4th title) |
| Runner-up | Aston Villa |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 93 |
| Goals scored | 304 (3.27 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Carlos Tevez (6 goals) |
Each season, the League Cup winners – like the winners of the FA Cup – were granted a place in the UEFA Europa League for the following season. However, in cases where a team had already gained a place in European competition via their league position or progress in other cup competitions, their place in the Europa League was deferred to the next-placed league side. In this season, since Manchester United and FA Cup winners Chelsea qualified for the UEFA Champions League via the Premier League, Aston Villa and Liverpool qualified for the Europa League as the sixth- and seventh-placed sides in the league.