2019 EFL Trophy Final
The 2019 EFL Trophy Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 31 March 2019. It decided the winners of the 2018–19 EFL Trophy, the 35th edition of the competition, a knock-out tournament for the 48 teams in League One and League Two and 16 category one academy sides.
 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2018–19 EFL Trophy | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| After extra time Portsmouth won 5–4 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | 31 March 2019 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Matthew Clarke | ||||||
| Referee | Dean Whitestone | ||||||
| Attendance | 85,021 | ||||||
The Final was contested by League One sides Portsmouth and Sunderland, of which the winner received £100,000 and the Runners-Up received £50,000.[1] This was the first Trophy final pitting two English football champions against each other in 31 years. It was also the first EFL Trophy Final to be contested by two former Premier League clubs.[2]
The Portsmouth team used Wembley's West changing room, while Sunderland used the East. A coin toss decided that Sunderland had first choice on kit selection. This meant Portsmouth played in blue away socks to avoid clashing with Sunderland's first choice red socks.
Portsmouth won the final after coming from one goal behind with English forward Oliver Hawkins scoring the winning penalty kick in the shootout to hand Portsmouth their first cup trophy since the 2008 FA Cup.[3] Portsmouth centre back, Matthew Clarke, was named man of the match.[4] The game was attended by 85,021 people, making it the highest attended match in the UK and the second highest in Europe that weekend. It set a new attendance record for the Football League Trophy, surpassing the 1988 final.[5]
Route to the final
Portsmouth
| Pos | Lge | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L1 | Portsmouth | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | Round 2 |
| 2 | ACA | Tottenham Hotspur U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 4 | |
| 3 | L1 | Gillingham | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 3 | |
| 4 | L2 | Crawley Town | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 2 |
| 4 September 2018 Group stages | Portsmouth | 4–0 | Gillingham | Portsmouth |
| 19:45 BST | Clarke  41'Close 43'Pitman 55' (pen.)Wheeler 90+1' |
Report | Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 2,011 Referee: Alan Young |
| 9 October 2018 Group stages | Crawley Town | 0–1 | Portsmouth | Crawley |
| 19:45 BST | Report | Donohue 37' |
Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: 1,268 |
| 13 November 2018 Group stages | Portsmouth | 3–2 | Tottenham Hotspur U21 | Portsmouth |
| 19:45 GMT | Green 50' Evans 69' |
Report | Patterson 20' White 90' |
Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 3,138 |
| 4 December 2018 Second round | Portsmouth | 2–1 | Arsenal U21 | Portsmouth |
| 19:45 GMT | Pitman 10' Green 83' |
Report | Saka 66' |
Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 3,109 |
| 8 January 2019 Third round | Southend United | 0–2 | Portsmouth | Southend-on-Sea |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Dennis 6' Evans 45+2' |
Stadium: Roots Hall Attendance: 1,649 Referee: Craig Hicks |
| 22 January 2019 Quarter-final | Portsmouth | 1–0 | Peterborough United | Portsmouth |
| 19:00 GMT | Close  74'Wheeler 85' |
Report | Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 3,313 |
| 26 February 2019 Semi-final | Bury | 0–3 | Portsmouth | Bury |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Evans 61' 62' Hawkins 64'Curtis 77' |
Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 3,900 Referee: Ross Joyce |
Sunderland
| Pos | Lge | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L1 | Sunderland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 8 | Round 2 |
| 2 | ACA | Stoke City U21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | L2 | Carlisle United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | L2 | Morecambe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 0 |
| 4 September 2018 Group Game 1 | Sunderland | 0–0 (4–2 p) | Stoke City U21s | Sunderland |
| 19:45 BST | Report | Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 7,644 Referee: Martin Coy | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| 9 October 2018 Group Game 2 | Sunderland | 3–1 | Carlisle United | Sunderland |
| 19:45 BST | Kimpioka 3' Robson 34'Honeyman 63'O'Nien 72' |
Report | Nadesan 22' |
Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 8,112 Referee: Ben Toner |
| 13 November 2018 Group Game 3 | Morecambe | 0–1 | Sunderland | Morecambe |
| 19:45 GMT | Kenyon 35' Cuvelier 45+2'Thompson 54' |
Report | Maja 90+1' |
Stadium: Globe Arena Attendance: 2,377 Referee: Paul Marsden |
| 4 December 2018 Round 2 | Sunderland | 2–0 | Notts County | Sunderland |
| 19:45 GMT | Mumba 28' Jones 22' (o.g.)Sinclair 73' (pen.) |
Report | Hewitt 29' Duffy 76'Vaughan 86' |
Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 8,580 Referee: Graham Salisbury |
| 8 January 2019 Round 3 | Sunderland | 4–0 | Newcastle United U21s | Sunderland |
| 19:45 GMT | Mumba 42' Watts 49' (o.g.)Wyke 52'Maguire 78'Kimpioka 86' |
Report | Sangare 53' |
Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 16,654 Referee: Tony Harrington |
| 22 January 2019 Quarter-finals | Sunderland | 2–0 | Manchester City U21s | Sunderland |
| 19:45 GMT | Cattermole 17' Watmore 22'Gooch 65' |
Report | Ogbeta 31' Pozo 90'Braaf 90+2' |
Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 14,679 Referee: Michael Salisbury |
| 5 March 2019 Semi-finals | Bristol Rovers | 0–2 | Sunderland | Bristol |
| 19:45 GMT | Nichols 38' Craig 86' |
Report | Grigg 44' Morgan 47' |
Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 6,699 Referee: Michael Salisbury |
Match
| Portsmouth | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Thompson 82' Lowe 114' |
Report | McGeady 38', 119' |
| Penalties | ||
Evans  Pitman Brown Lowe Hawkins |
5–4 | McGeady Cattermole Gooch Power O'Nien |
     Portsmouth
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    Sunderland
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References
- "Checkatrade Trophy knockout rules explained - prize money, key dates and who can play". Bristol Post. 4 December 2018.
- "Checkatrade Trophy Final: Facts & Figures". Portsmouth F.C. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- Fisher, Ben (1 April 2019). "Portsmouth's Oliver Hawkins sinks Sunderland to seal Checkatrade Trophy". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- "Match report: Checkatrade Trophy Final". English Football League. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- Williams, Adam (31 March 2019). "Checkatrade Trophy final: Portsmouth 2-2 Sunderland (aet, 5-4 on pens)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 March 2019.