They had beaten Wigan Athletic, Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Bradford City and Oxford United to get that far in the first place. Alan Smith Gives the Gunners an Early lead but a Superb Free Kick From Kingsley Black Earns the Hatters a Point at KR. Ian was the first winner of the Socrates Award For Not Being Dead Yet at the 2010 NOPA awards for football bloggers. He lives in Brighton. Commentary comes from Brian Moore. You can follow Twohundredpercent on Twitter by clicking here. The ongoing ban on English clubs playing in European competition meant that the UEFA Cup that would ordinarily have come with winning the League Cup was useless. Although the club had made the League Cup its first trophy in eight seasons a year earlier against Liverpool, the club had not seriously challenged for the league title for more than a decade whilst Liverpool had swept all before them. Promoted into the First Division in 1982, the club had installed an artificial playing surface, banned away supporters and stabilised as a top flight club, and in 1988 they added some silverware to their list of achievements by surprisingly lifting the League Cup after a thrilling final at Wembley against the favourites, Arsenal. Luton were making their first League Cup Final appearance, while the competition holders Arsenal were appearing in their fourth final. There would be no reward beyond prestige for Luton Town after winning this match. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Promoted into the First Division in 1982, the club had installed an artificial playing surface, banned away supporters and stabilised as a top flight club, and in 1988 they added some silverware to their list of achievements by surprisingly lifting the League Cup after a thrilling final at Wembley against the favourites, Arsenal. The 1988 Football League Cup Final (also known as the Littlewoods Challenge Cup Final for sponsorship reasons) was an association football match between Luton Town and Arsenal on 24 April 1988 at Wembley Stadium, London. All that, however, was the future on that spring day in 1988 as the club lifted its first major trophy. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, The 200% Podcast 49: The League Cup Runneth Over, League Cup Final of the Day: Nottingham Forest vs Oldham Athletic, 1990. It was the final match of the 1987–88 staging of the Football League Cup. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Arsenal, meanwhile, were just showing signings of emerging from the shadows after a the best part of a decade in the wilderness.