The Saints reach the League Cup final at Liverpool's expense

Southampton achieved a great victory over Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-finals, winning 2-0 on aggregate. Substitute Shane Long scored the only goal of the game in added time at the end of the second half. The assist came from youngster Joshua Sims, who carried the ball the length of the pitch before passing to the Irish striker.

For long spells it looked as though Liverpool would win the match, with The Reds enjoying around 70% of possession. The Merseysiders created some good chances, while The Saints missed two clear opportunities in the first half. Liverpool’s best chance came in the 53rd minute, when Saints goalkeeper Forster made a silly mistake but managed to clear the ball off the line and keep his clean sheet. Five minutes later, Daniel Sturridge was unmarked in the box, but his shot flew high over the bar. In the end, Southampton launched a very fast counter-attack, put the ball into Liverpool’s net and booked their place in the final.

The last time Southampton played in a cup final was in 2003, when The Saints lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Arsenal. They have never won the League Cup; the only time Southampton reached the final was in 1979, when they lost to Nottingham Forest.

That night, Southampton were due to find out who they would meet in the final. The second finalist looked almost certain to be Manchester United, as The Red Devils held a 2-0 lead from the first leg against Hull City. The Saints would have been hoping to face The Tigers instead, because The Red Devils have always been among Southampton’s toughest opponents. Manchester United had won 62 matches against The Saints, with 29 draws and 28 victories for Southampton.

Southampton's road to Wembley

Claude Puel's side reached the final without conceding a goal in the competition. Southampton beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at home in the third round and Sunderland 1-0 at home in the fourth. In the fifth round they won 2-0 away at Arsenal. The first leg of the semi-final against Liverpool, at St Mary's on 11 January 2017, was settled by Nathan Redmond in the 20th minute, which meant Long's late goal at Anfield on 25 January simply confirmed a tie the Saints had controlled for most of its 180 minutes.

The opponent in the final was confirmed the following night. Hull City beat Manchester United 2-1 at the KCOM Stadium on 26 January, with goals from Tom Huddlestone, from the penalty spot, and Oumar Niasse, but Paul Pogba's goal in between sent United through 3-2 on aggregate.

The final against Manchester United

The final was played at Wembley on 26 February 2017 in front of 85,264 spectators, with Andre Marriner as referee. Southampton started well and had an early goal from Manolo Gabbiadini disallowed for offside, although replays suggested the Italian had been level. Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring with a free-kick in the 19th minute and Jesse Lingard made it 2-0 in the 38th. Gabbiadini responded in first-half stoppage time and equalised in the 48th minute, giving Southampton real hope of a first League Cup. United's two first-half goals had been the first Southampton conceded in the whole competition, after five clean sheets in the earlier rounds, and the occasion was the club's first major final since the 2003 FA Cup final. Ibrahimovic decided the match in the 87th minute, heading in a cross from Ander Herrera, and was named man of the match as Manchester United won 3-2.

The defeat meant that Southampton's wait for a first League Cup went on, their second final in the competition ending in the same way as the first against Nottingham Forest in 1979. For Manchester United it was the first major trophy under Jose Mourinho.