1995 Football League Cup final

1995 Football League Cup Final

Match programme cover
Event	1994–95 Football League Cup
Liverpool Bolton Wanderers 2 1
Date	2 April 1995
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Man of the Match	Steve McManaman (Liverpool)[1]
Referee	Philip Don (Middlesex)
Attendance	75,595
← 1994 1996 →

The 1995 Football League Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers on 2 April 1995 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 1994–95 Football League Cup, the 35th staging of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League. This was Liverpool's seventh final appearance, having previously won four and lost twice. In contrast, Bolton appeared in their first-ever final.

Both teams entered the competition in the second round. Liverpool's matches were closely contested, with the exception of a 4–1 victory over Burnley in the second round. Otherwise, their biggest margin of victory was by two goals over Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round. Bolton's matches were equally close. Their biggest margin of victory was three goals in the second round against Ipswich Town, while they beat Norwich City by a single goal in the quarter-finals.

Watched by a crowd of 75,595, Bolton controlled the early exchanges in the match, but it was Liverpool who took the lead in the 37th minute when Steve McManaman scored. McManaman scored again in the 68th minute to extend Liverpool's lead to two goals. However, a minute later, Alan Thompson scored for Bolton to reduce the deficit to one goal. Despite repeated attacks, Bolton did not score an equaliser and Liverpool won the match 2–1.

Liverpool's victory was their fifth in the competition. McManaman was named as man of the match and awarded the Alan Hardaker Trophy. His performance was praised by both managers, as was the performance of both teams. Liverpool's win qualified Liverpool to play in European competition the following season, while Bolton would win promotion to the Premier League following a 4–3 victory in the First Division play-off final.