 The club won its first significant trophy on 4 March 1972 , in the League Cup Final . Stoke beat favourites Chelsea 2 – 1 in the final at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 97 @,@ 852 spectators . Before this victory , Stoke had progressed through 11 games to reach the final . This included four games with West Ham United in the semi @-@ final ; the two @-@ legged match was played twice . Stoke fared well in the FA Cup ; the club progressed to the semi @-@ final stage in both the 1970 – 71 and 1971 – 72 seasons . However , on both occasions Stoke lost to Arsenal in a replay . 
