2020 EFL Trophy final
The 2020 EFL Trophy Final (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2020 Papa John's Trophy Final) was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 13 March 2021. It decided the winners of the 2019–20 EFL Trophy, the 36th edition of the competition, a knock-out tournament for the 48 teams in League One and League Two and 16 category one academy sides.
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| Event | 2019–20 EFL Trophy | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| After extra time Salford City won 4–2 on penalties  | |||||||
| Date | 13 March 2021 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Václav Hladký | ||||||
| Referee | Carl Boyeson | ||||||
| Attendance | 0 | ||||||
The final was contested by Portsmouth from League One, the defending champions and thus making their second successive final appearance, and Salford City from League Two, who made their finals debut.[1][2]
Portsmouth and Salford City had never played against each other before this EFL Trophy Final meeting.[3]
The final, which was originally scheduled for 5 April 2020, was postponed because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom[4] and eventually rescheduled for 13 March 2021.[5]
Route to the final
    
    Portsmouth
    
| Pos | Div | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L1 | Portsmouth | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 8 | Advance to Round 2 | 
| 2 | L1 | Oxford United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7 | |
| 3 | ACA | Norwich City U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | L2 | Crawley Town | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | 
| 3 September 2019 Group stage | Portsmouth | 1–0 | Crawley Town | Portsmouth | 
| 19:45 BST | Pitman  | 
Report | Stadium: Fratton Park | 
| 14 September 2019 Group stage | Portsmouth | 3–1 | Norwich City U21 | Portsmouth | 
| 12:30 BST | Harrison  Flint  | 
Report | Scully  | 
Stadium: Fratton Park | 
| 8 October 2019 Group stage | Oxford United | 2–2 (4–5 p)  | Portsmouth | Oxford | 
| 19:30 BST | Taylor  Dickie  | 
Lethbridge  Walkes  | 
Stadium: Kassam Stadium Attendance: 1548  | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Sole  Brannagan Hall Sykes Ruffels Agyei Long  | 
Evans  Harrison Close Williams Downing Walkes Haunstrup  | 
|||
| 3 December 2019 Round 2 | Portsmouth | 2–1 | Northampton Town | Portsmouth | 
| 19:45 GMT | Maloney  Harness  | 
Harriman  | 
Stadium: Fratton Park | 
| 7 January 2020 Round 3 | Walsall | 1–2 | Portsmouth | Walsall | 
| 19:45 GMT | Lavery  | 
Report | Marquis  Harrison  | 
Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 1,082  | 
| 21 January 2020 Quarter-Final | Portsmouth | 2–1 | Scunthorpe United | Portsmouth | 
| 19:45 GMT | Marquis  McGeehan  | 
Report | Eisa  | 
Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 5,832  | 
| 18 February 2020 Semi-Final | Portsmouth | 3–2 | Exeter City | Portsmouth | 
| 19:45 GMT | Harness  McGeehan Marquis  | 
Report | Taylor  Burgess  | 
Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 14,735 Referee: Craig Hicks  | 
Salford City
    
| Pos | Div | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L2 | Salford City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 6 | Advance to Round 2 | 
| 2 | L1 | Tranmere Rovers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
| 3 | ACA | Aston Villa U21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | |
| 4 | — | Bury[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Automatically eliminated from competition | 
Notes:
- This group originally included the expelled Bury.
 
| 3 September 2019 Group stage | Salford City | 2–0 | Aston Villa U21 | Salford | 
| 19:45 BST | Lloyd  Rooney  | 
Report | Stadium: Moor Lane Attendance: 916  | 
| 12 November 2019 Group stage | Tranmere Rovers | 0–2 | Salford City | Birkenhead | 
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Threlkeld  Hogan  | 
Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 1,196 Referee: James Adcock  | 
| 3 December 2019 Round 2 | Salford City | 3–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 | Salford | 
| 19:45 GMT | Armstrong  Towell  | 
Report | Stadium: Moor Lane Attendance: 505  | 
| 7 January 2020 Round 3 | Salford City | 3–0 | Port Vale | Salford | 
| 19:45 GMT | Burgess  Armstrong Jervis  | 
Report | Stadium: Moor Lane Attendance: 630  | 
| 21 January 2020 Quarter-Final | Salford City | 2–1 | Accrington Stanley | Salford | 
| 19:45 GMT | Burgess  Elliott  | 
Report | Finley  | 
Stadium: Moor Lane Attendance: 1,401  | 
Match
    
| Portsmouth | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Salford City | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 2–4 | ||
Portsmouth 
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Salford City 
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References
    
- "Leasing.com Trophy semi-final: Portsmouth 3-2 Exeter City after dramatic finish". BBC Sport. 18 February 2020.
 - "Newport County 0-0 Salford City (5-6 on pens)". BBC Sport. 19 February 2020.
 - "#Pompey's first ever meeting with @SalfordCityFC will take place at @wembleystadium in the @LeasingcomTrphy final on Sunday, April 5". Portsmouth FC. 19 February 2020.
 - "EFL statement: Leasing.com Trophy Final". www.efl.com.
 - Allen, Neil (16 September 2020). "Pompey's EFL Trophy Wembley final against Salford City put back to 2021". The News. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
 
