Aston Villa won the first League Cup competition, in 1960/61. Their historical record also lists victories in 1974/75, 1976/77, 1993/94 and 1995/96. Those achievements give Villa a cup story spanning very different periods of English football, rather than one isolated winning season.

The season format is worth keeping in mind when checking older records. A 1960/61 entry and a reference to the 1961 trophy describe the same campaign. Likewise, Villa’s 1995/96 success is commonly discussed as the 1996 win. Use both the season and competition name when comparing the archive with a modern fixture list.

Promotion and silverware under Ron Saunders

Ron Saunders became Villa manager in 1974. The club’s own retrospective describes an immediate return: promotion to the First Division and the League Cup trophy in his first season. It is a reminder that a memorable Villa cup campaign need not be understood only through the club’s top-flight history.

Another trophy followed in 1977, but the final was unusually prolonged. Everton were eventually beaten in a second replay at Old Trafford. An archive search can therefore return several final fixtures for the same campaign. Those entries are not duplicate records, nor are they a modern two-leg semi-final: they belong to the replay arrangements of that historical final.

Keep the historical final separate from today’s route

Villa’s current Carabao Cup matches sit above this guide, with each round and venue identified on its own card. That is the practical place to follow a new campaign, while the historical notes explain why references to first winners, Saunders and Old Trafford recur in Villa cup coverage.

When comparing campaigns, resist treating an old competition format as a guide to the present one. The 1977 replays explain those old results; they do not promise a replay if a current Villa tie finishes level. For a new fixture, use its match details and the current competition guidance.

Villa supporters’ League Cup questions

Which was Aston Villa’s first League Cup-winning season?

Villa won the inaugural competition in 1960/61. The historical record then lists four further winning campaigns: 1974/75, 1976/77, 1993/94 and 1995/96.

Why do several matches appear for Villa’s 1977 final?

The final against Everton required replays, with Villa securing the trophy in the second replay at Old Trafford. Those were separate fixtures in the same final contest, rather than repeated copies of one result.

Was Villa’s 1975 cup success part of a promotion season?

Yes. Villa’s official account of Saunders’ first season links the League Cup win with promotion back to the First Division. That combination is an important part of the context for the club’s mid-1970s revival.

Guide review

Reviewed 14 November 2026. Scores are checked twice daily. Fixture times and TV selections can change.