The League Cup seems to have a very mixed view among fans, depending on who you speak with.
If your team is lucky enough to win then it is celebrated – it is a trophy after all. If your team loses the final or gets knocked out, well it is only the Mickey Mouse League Cup so no one cares.
Like the FA Cup, the lower league opposition obviously enjoy the opportunity of coming up and testing themselves against Premier League opposition. But of course depending on circumstances, different clubs will give the Cup different priorities.
As we approach the semis, the four teams that remain are all Premier League clubs. Joining Everton and Liverpool are Manchester City and Stoke with the semi-final ties to be played over two legs.
Everton have not won a trophy for twenty years, the 1995 FA cup win over Manchester United being their last piece of silverware. Liverpool in the same time frame have obviously enjoyed more success, a Champions League triumph the highlight.
New manager Jurgen Klopp has already made a very positive start to his Liverpool career and winning a trophy would be a nice achievement in year one at the club. While Everton may feel twenty years is too long for a trophy for a club that was one of the best in the country during the 1980s, Liverpool will also feel they are due for some silverware whose last significant trophy was the 2011-12 League Cup, certainly nowhere near the dry spell Evertonians have had to endure.
Standing in the way of an Everton and Liverpool final are Stoke and Manchester City who will not be easy opponents, especially Manchester City who will start warm favourites against Everton.
A final between Everton and Liverpool would certainly generate interest. The most recent meeting between the clubs in a significant game outside of a standard Premier League fixture was the 2012 FA cup semi-final at Wembley which went the way of Liverpool.
An amazing atmosphere that day, one could only imagine the atmosphere if Everton and Liverpool were to meet in the final.
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