League Cup | |||
Country | England Wales |
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Dates | 8 August 2016 – 26 February 2017 | ||
Teams | 92 | ||
Champions | Manchester United (5th title) | ||
Runners-up | Southampton | ||
Matches played | 92 | ||
Goals scored | 287 (3.12 per match) | ||
Top goal scorer(s) |
Zlatan Ibrahimović Daniel Sturridge (4 goals each) |
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The 2016–17 EFL Cup was the 57th season of the EFL Cup, formerly known as the Football League Cup, featuring all 92 clubs from the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL). It began on the week commencing 8 August 2016 and concluded with the final on 26 February 2017. The cup did not have a sponsor following the withdrawal of sponsorship from Capital One after four years as the Capital One Cup, but was renamed the EFL Cup after the Football League was rebranded as the EFL.
Manchester United won their fifth title after a 3–2 win over Southampton in the final.
As winners, Manchester United qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. Manchester City were the defending champions, but they were eliminated by Manchester United in the fourth round.
The League Cup is open to all 92 members of the Premier League and the English Football League and is divided into seven rounds, organised so that 32 clubs remain by the third round. Clubs involved in European competition during the season receive a bye to the third round, the remaining Premier League clubs enter at the second round, and the remaining Football League clubs enter at the first round.
The League Cup is played as a knockout cup competition with each tie, except semi-finals, being played as a single match with the winner advancing to the next round. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with each club playing one leg at home, and the club that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs advances to the finals. If the score is level after 90 minutes, or if the aggregate score is level for semi-finals, then thirty minutes of extra time is played, divided into two fifteen-minute halves. If the aggregate scores in semi-finals are still level at the end of extra time the tie shall be decided by goals scored away from home counting twice, according to the away goals rule. If the tie is not decided during extra time, it is decided by a penalty shoot-out.