Meanwhile, at Wembley Stadium, Liverpool defeated Championship side Cardiff City 3-2 on penalties to win the English League Cup, manager Kenny Dalglish's first trophy since returning to the club.
CNN: Arsenal fight back to win sensational north London derby
London, England (CNN) -- On-form Wayne Rooney came off the bench to score the winner as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the English League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
CNN: Rooney heads winner for United in English League Cup final
Chelsea's vctory on Monday ended United's hopes of winning the double -- securing both the English Premier League and the FA Cup, a trophy the Manchester side have won a record 11 times.
The tournament, seen as third most prestigious in the country behind the English Premier League and the FA Cup, has only recently become a priority for Arsenal after their trophy drought stretched to seven years.
The League Cup, first contested in 1960, is regarded as the third competition in English football behind the Premier League and the FA Cup.
CNN: 'Giant-killers' Bradford stun Aston Villa in League Cup
Villas-Boas' assistant Roberto Di Matteo -- a former Chelsea player -- took over and led the club to two trophies, winning the English FA Cup two weeks before the Champions League final.
On Tuesday, Bradford City advanced past Aston Villa of the Premier League to the final of the League Cup, a competition reserved for the 92 teams in the English game's top four tiers.
WSJ: Bradford City and Luton Town Are the Cinderellas of English Soccer
Especially, playing in a league like the English Premiership which includes 38 league games, the Charity Shield, the FA Cup, the Worthington Cup and the Champions League.
In the English FA Cup, Premier League outfit Everton breezed past third tier Oldham Atheltic in their fifth round replay.
Chelsea's 2012-13 season officially began when the Blues faced Manchester City on Aug. 12 in the FA. Community Shield, the annual curtain-raiser between English soccer's league champion and the FA Cup winner.
While Real would go on to win the nascent competition for the second year in a row, defeating Fiorentina of Italy in the final, United finished the season as English league champions before losing to Aston Villa in the FA Cup final in front of nearly 100, 000 at Wembley.
Unlike most American sports, the soccer season is relatively short: 38 league games in the English top-flight, plus cup competitions, which could see you bounced out immediately.
Bent was also in the frame for the 2006 World Cup after finishing the Premier League season as the top English goalscorer - but was overlooked by then manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Since Gill became CEO in 2003, United have won four English Premier League titles, the 2004 FA Cup and the European Champions League in 2008.
In addition to a full program of 38 Premier League games, the club also contested the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, the UEFA Super Cup in Monaco and advanced to the semifinals of both English soccer's FA Cup and Football League Cup.
He even nipped back to play a key role in the mostly English Under-18 side which won the FA Premier Academy League and FA Youth Cup double under Steve Bould in 2009.
Dalglish was previously Liverpool manager between 1985 and 1991, guiding the club to three league titles and two English FA Cup wins.
Under the deal, BT will get ESPN and ESPN America channels, plus ESPN's live sports rights portfolio, which includes the English Football Association Challenge Cup, better known locally as the FA Cup, the Scottish football Premier League, and Germany's top football league, known as the Bundesliga.
Meanwhile, the first major domestic trophy of the English season was claimed by Swansea as they beat minnows Bradford 5-0 in the final of the League Cup at Wembley Sunday.
Scolari, who had an eight-month spell in charge of English Premier League team Chelsea, is not the only World Cup winner returning to the fold.
English Premier League leaders Manchester United reached the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 victory at home to Fulham, as striker Javier Hernandez netted twice after goals from Wayne Rooney and veteran Ryan Giggs, with a penalty.
He helped Jose Mourinho's side win the Premier League English title in 2005 and 2006, as well as two Carling Cup triumphs and the FA Cup last May.
BBC: SPORT | Football | My Club | Chelsea | Makelele extends Chelsea contract
From a sponsorship perspective, the League Cup hasn't always been the most glamorous property in English sports.
Mourinho is favorite to fill the current vacancy at Chelsea, where he won two English Premier League titles and one FA Cup between 2004 and 2007.
Arsenal's defeat to Blackburn came just a few months after arguably one of the most humiliating nights of Wenger's reign, when they lost on penalties in the League Cup to Bradford City, who play in the fourth division of English football.
Likewise, the team says that Henry, who won a World Cup with France and scored 175 goals for Arsenal in the English Premier League, has a world-class pedigree that has helped sell tickets, attract new players and bring both the club and the league a level of credibility that few other players on the planet could provide.
In the English FA Cup , arguably the most famous domestic knockout competition in world club football, Premier League giant Liverpool was given a scare by fifth tier side Mansfield.
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