Taking On The Giants: Teams outside the topflight who made it to a major Cup final

Usually an all Premier League affair
A shock
The teams
Cardiff vs Liverpool, 2012 EFL Cup (10)
Swansea vs Bradford, 2013 EFL Cup (9)
Cardiff vs Portsmouth 2008 FA Cup (8)
Manchester United vs Millwall 2004 FA Cup (7)
Leicester City vs Tranmere 2000 EFL Cup (6)
Sunderland vs Leeds 1973 FA Cup (5)
Defeating legends
Southampton vs Manchester United 1976 FA Cup (4)
Late winner
Arsenal vs West Ham 1980 FA Cup (3)
Third title
Swindon vs Arsenal 1969 EFL Cup (2)
Winning in extra-time
Manchester United vs Sheffield Wednesday 1991 EFL Cup (1)
One goal in it
Usually an all Premier League affair

Major cup finals in England are normally all Premier League affairs, with the top teams having the most impressive trophy cabinets.

A shock

Many lower league teams have managed to get to the quarter-final or semi-final of the FA Cup or EFL Cup, but only a select few have made it to the Cup final day.

The teams

Here are ten lower-league teams who've made it to the FA Cup or the EFL Cup final.

Cardiff vs Liverpool, 2012 EFL Cup (10)

The second-tier Cardiff and Premier League Liverpool match for the 2012 EFL Cup was a thriller. Cardiff was in their first EFL Cup final and went after Liverpool. The game ended 2-2 after extra time, but Liverpool narrowly won on penalties 3-2.

Swansea vs Bradford, 2013 EFL Cup (9)

Bradford City was the first fourth-tier side to reach a major Cup final since 1962. They had beat giants Arsenal and Aston Villa on their way to playing Swansea in the 2013 final. Unfortunately, Swansea's Premier League quality showed, winning the contest 5-0.

Cardiff vs Portsmouth 2008 FA Cup (8)

Cardiff City wanted to repeat their feat of taking the FA Cup outside of England, having won it in 1927. The opposition for Cardiff was Portsmouth, and their talisman Kanu, broke the hearts of the Welsh fans, scoring the goal that would give Pompey their first major success since 1939.

Manchester United vs Millwall 2004 FA Cup (7)

Championship Millwall did extremely well to reach the 2004 FA Cup final, but they had to deal with a different beast when they faced Manchester United. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and a brace from Ruud Van Nistelrooy saw United Ease past the Championship team.

Leicester City vs Tranmere 2000 EFL Cup (6)

The Leicester City of the Premier League matched up against First Division Tranmere in the last EFL Cup final at Old Wembley. Tranmere nearly caused a shock, but Matt Elliott's brace saw the Foxes win 2-1.

Sunderland vs Leeds 1973 FA Cup (5)

Onto the winners now and the first lower league side on this list to win a major trophy was Sunderland, defeating the mighty Leeds United in the 1973 FA Cup final.

Defeating legends

The Leeds United team possessed English football legends Billy Bremner, Norman Hunter, and Peter Lorimer. However, one goal from Ian Porterfield was enough for Sunderland to seal a legendary victory.

Southampton vs Manchester United 1976 FA Cup (4)

Manchester United finished four points shy of champions Liverpool in the English First Division before facing Second Division side Southampton.

Late winner

Southampton could only finish in sixth spot in their division, but it didn't show against Manchester United, winning the game in the 83rd minute with a goal from forward Rob Stokes, taking the trophy back to the South Coast.

Arsenal vs West Ham 1980 FA Cup (3)

The last club outside the top division to win the prestigious FA Cup is West Ham, defeating Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final.

Third title

West Ham secured their third FA Cup trophy after Trevor Brooking's 13th-minute goal was enough for the Hammers to pull off the last major upset in the competition's final.

Swindon vs Arsenal 1969 EFL Cup (2)

First Division Arsenal had lost the previous EFL Cup final in 1968, losing to Leeds United. On the other hand, Third Division Swindon Town were underdogs, making their first major final and first game at Wembley.

Winning in extra-time

Arsenal was a team on the up and would win their first European trophy a year later. Despite that, they were no match for Swindon. A brace from Don Rodgers in extra time saw Swindon win the game 3-1.

Manchester United vs Sheffield Wednesday 1991 EFL Cup (1)

The last team outside the top division to win a major trophy was Sheffield Wednesday, beating Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United 1-0.

One goal in it

The man in charge for Sheffield Wednesday was former Red Devils boss Ron Atkinson, who gained sweet revenge on his former employers after John Sheridan's goal just before halftime was enough for the victory.

More for you