1978 Football League Cup Final

The 1978 Football League Cup Final was the eighteenth League Cup final, and was contested between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The initial match resulted in a 0–0 draw at Wembley Stadium on 18 March 1978. The replay was four days later at Old Trafford, and saw John Robertson score from the penalty spot after a foul by Phil Thompson on John O'Hare, which TV replays confirmed was actually outside the penalty area. Another refereeing decision caused further controversy when an equalising goal from Liverpool's Terry McDermott was ruled out for handball, despite TV replays again confirming that the decision was wrong, with McDermott controlling the ball not with his arm, but taking it cleanly on his chest before hammering a thunderbolt past future England goalkeeper Chris Woods. The contentious 1–0 score-line was enough to win the cup for Forest, who thus became the first club to achieve a League and League Cup double.

Contents

• Match details
• Nottingham Forest
• Liverpool
• References

In the latter game, one of his last for Liverpool, stalwart Ian Callaghan received the only booking of his long and illustrious career for the Merseyside club, as the red mist descended, fuelled by the dubious refereeing decisions which had been made. Tommy Smith famously stated in an interview immediately after the game that the referee "should be shot".