as cardiff were in the football league, they played one more round than liverpool who received a bye in the first round. therefore, cardiff progressed through six rounds to reach the final, whereas liverpool progressed through five. matches up to the semi-final were contested on a one-off basis with the exception of the semi-finals, which were contested over two-legs with a match at each team's home ground. both liverpool and cardiff's matches were close affairs; their biggest margins of victory was by two goals. liverpool beat manchester city to reach the final, whereas cardiff progressed via a penalty shoot-out against crystal palace.