Luke Moore: The League Cup is genuine football magic!

Igor Biscan loves the League Cup

Don't deride the Carling, sorry, Capital One Cup (formerly known as the Milk/Littlewoods/Rumbelows/Coca-Cola/Worthington Cup) cries Luke Moore! It's a forum for upsets, emerging stars and pure footballing entertainment...

Marseille let me down last week and ended a good run in which we turned over some healthy profit. In fairness, it was a bit of a punt but I genuinely thought L'OM would have enough to turn over a stuttering Moenchengladbach side, but Lucien Favre's team acquitted themselves well and deserved their win.

I'm not seriously going to be able to write about anything other than the Capital One Cup this week, am I? Honestly, last night's game at the Madejski Stadium has to go down as one of the most incredible I've ever seen. As a Pompey fan I recall a game at Fratton Park in the Premier League which also involved Reading and finished 7-4, but I genuinely can't remember a mainstream game with that many goals in it. You'd have to go back to the reign of the great Herbert Chapman to find a game involving Arsenal with such a goal haul.

The best thing about last night's tie, and what set it apart from, say (sticking with the Arsenal theme) United's 8-2 drubbing of their north London rivals last season in the league was that it was so competitive. It swung back and forward time and time again, which was a welcome departure given that most high-scoring games tend to be routs and only watchable in a through-the-fingers, car crash sort of way.

It's not a huge surprise that this game happened in the League Cup. Despite the negative press around the competition, I always find there's plenty to get interested in. Because of the cut and thrust of the modern game the bigger teams always try to alleviate tiredness among their senior pros and blood in a lot of youngsters. We saw that last night yet again with Arsenal. In turn, the smaller Premier League teams and even some of the teams in the Football League feel they can make a serious impression on the competition. Last night, Reading fielded a strong side and it showed. What followed was two hours of the best football entertainment you're likely to see anywhere.

In fact, the much-maligned, serially-name-changed League Cup has been the destination for many, many amazing games and results over the years. Seriously, look it up. You'll night find a year in the last 20 that hasn't thrown up either a massive result or two, or an upset.

I'm continually surprised when it is treated with such disdain by the press and occasionally some managers and players. This is a cup with more than 50 years of tradition and deserves to be treated with respect. For example, I vividly remember Liverpool travelling to the Potteries in 2000 and absolutely destroying Stoke City 0-8. They went on to win the competition via another 5-0 drubbing, this time of Crystal Palace, and Igor Biscan scored! Yes, Igor Biscan scored a goal. For Liverpool! It's like pointing your telescope up to the sky at night and witnessing an exploding star. It was football history in the making.

The final in 2008 between Chelsea and Spurs was also a barn-burner of a game, in which Spurs' forgotten man Juande Ramos lifted a trophy for the north Londoners. Luton Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United have all won this competition and in fairly recent years, too. George Graham won it with Arsenal in his first season which undoubtedly kick-started the Gunner's fortunes and helped them go on to win two league titles under him. Everywhere you look with the League Cup there's something to hang your hat on.

So let's applaud the League Cup and all who sail in her. She is the bringer of youth, the chance for whippersnappers to get their first taste of action, and an opportunity for the slightly smaller teams to clinch a scalp to cherish. And isn't that actually what football is all about?

This Week's Tip
In the culmination of a big week for Manchester United, they host Arsenal at lunchtime on Saturday. If there is one thing that is absolutely guaranteed, it's that Robin Van Persie will score. The price on him to get a goal at any time is pretty short, but if you want to stick your neck out an extra bit, 5.24/1 on him to be first goalscorer is a decent price for the league's joint top scorer against his old club.