Leicester take on Aston Villa in League Cup semi-final clash echoing tie from 20 years ago

High-flying Leicester City meet fellow Midlanders Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday in what is a throwback to the last time the Foxes won silverware in a knockout competition.

They met in the semi-final stage of the League Cup in 2000, when Matt Elliott propelled Leicester into the final with a starring second-leg display before they beat Tranmere 2-1 in the final at Wembley – with Elliott scoring both goals. 

The first leg finished 0-0 at Villa Park and there were more than a few familiar names lining up on both sides of the pitch.

Leicester’s last League Cup triumph was with Martin O’Neill (left) in charge in 2000

Matt Elliott scored the goal that defeated Villa in the 2000 League Cup encounter 

Elliott was then the hero at Wembley – scoring both Leicester goals as they beat Tranmere 2-1

Emile Heskey, Neil Lennon and Robbie Savage started both semi-finals for Leicester, while Villa had the likes of Paul Merson, current England boss Gareth Southgate and a 19-year-old Gareth Barry.

In the dugouts, Martin O’Neill was in the blue corner in what was his penultimate season of a successful five-year spell with Leicester, while John Gregory was in his third year at Villa Park.

Both sides were established mid-table teams at the time and were neck and neck in the Premier League, with Leicester in 10th and Villa in ninth, separated by goal difference of just one. 

They both finished the season qualifying for European competition – Leicester via their trophy win and Villa through the Intertoto Cup.

The first leg of the semi was a cagey affair with the majority of the chances going to Villa. Leicester were resolute but failed to utilise Heskey with the long ball. 

Neil Lennon, now the Celtic manager, was one of the key players in that Leicester side 

Emile Heskey was Leicester’s leading striker but didn’t have much of an impact in the first semi

Gareth Southgate (left), now the England manager, was part of the Aston Villa set-up

Afterwards, Villa boss Gregory sniped that he hoped ‘Leicester will come out and cross the halfway line in the second leg’.

He should have been careful in what he wished for. 

Leicester came out and took the return leg by the scruff of the neck. Elliott struck in the final minute of the first half with a deft header inside the six-yard box to send them into their third League Cup final in four years. They had lost one, to Tottenham in 1999, but won it in 1997.

Elliott went on to score a brace in the last League Cup final at the old Wembley against second-tier side Tranmere. Rovers finished the game with 10 men following Clint Hill’s second yellow card just after the hour mark.

Elliott celebrates with Lennon and Steve Guppy after scoring the decisive goal against Villa 

Brendan Rodgers has spearheaded Leicester’s surge into second in the Premier League 

Aston Villa haven’t won a major cup competition since 1996 but did win the play-offs last year 

The 2000 League Cup would be Leicester’s last major honour before their miraculous Premier League title win 16 years later, under Claudio Ranieri.

Now, having surged to second in the Premier League with an array of impressive displays and Brendan Rodgers as boss, they are favourites to reach another cup final.

Villa, meanwhile, are bidding for their first major piece of silverware since lifting the 1996 League Cup, although they did, of course, win the Championship play-offs last year.