Champion Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Man of the match Nigel Pearson | Date 21 April 1991 Attendance 77,612 | |
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Venue Wembley Stadium, London Referee Ray Lewis (Surrey County Football Association) Event 1990-91 Football League Cup Similar 1992 Football League C, 1994 Football League C, 1983 Football League C, 2003 Football League C, 2009 Football League C | ||
The 1991 Football League Cup Final was a football match played on 21 April 1991 between Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday. It was the first of two years that the competition was sponsored by Rumbelows.
Despite the previous season's FA Cup winners, Manchester United, being favourites to lift the trophy, Second Division side Sheffield Wednesday won the match 1–0, the winning goal scored by John Sheridan, giving the Owls their first League Cup title in a season when they also won promotion back to the top flight. The match is regarded as one of the most memorable League Cup finals of all time.
The trophy was presented to Wednesday skipper Nigel Pearson by Rumbelows employee of the year Tracy Bateman. Pearson was also named man of the match.
Yorkshire Television controversy
The broadcast of this League Cup final caused controversy in the Yorkshire region, as instead of showing the post-match celebrations (as London Weekend Television did), Yorkshire Television decided to cut the broadcast short to show a programme titled War of the Monster Trucks. Sheffielders often cite this event as a demonstration of the station's bias towards West Yorkshire, Leeds and above all Leeds United. The incident inspired the name of the Sheffield Wednesday fanzine War of the Monster Trucks.