EFL Cup Final: Manchester United vs. Southampton
After six months of action, drama, and nail-biting finishes, the EFL Cup is down to two finalists who will face off at Wembley Stadium come February.
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United will face off against Claude Puel’s Southampton F.C. on February 26th to see who lifts the league cup trophy. The two Premier League finalists stamped their spot in the final this past week. I decided to take a look at each side and the road they traveled to get to the final, plus past appearances in the competition final.
Manchester United opened their tournament run with a 3–1 road win at third-tier Northampton Town. Despite being deadlocked 1–1 at halftime, goals from Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford allowed the Red Devils to pull away. Their opponent for the Round of 16 was none other than their local rivals, Manchester City.
A 54th minute winner by midfielder Juan Mata sent the Red Devils into the quarterfinals, at the expense of their noisy neighbors. A 4–1 home thumping of West Ham United in the quarters sent Manchester United onto the semifinals. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial both netted braces for the hosts, while former United forward Ashley Fletcher had the loan goal for the visitors.
Two weeks ago, United defeated Hull City 2–0 at Old Trafford in the first leg of the semi’s. Juan Mata scored early in the second half, while Marouane Fellaini headed home an insurance tally. The second leg saw Hull much better at home, taking an early lead on a Tom Huddlestone penalty. Paul Pogba equalized for United, before Oumar Niasse made things interesting with a late tally with five minutes remaining. However, United advanced to the final with an aggregate score of 3–2.
Manchester United will be seeking their fifth ever victory in the League Cup final. The prior four times came in 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10. Jose Mourinho will look to lift his first silverware since taking over at United this past off-season.
As for Southampton, they began the tournament with a 2–0 victory over visiting Crystal Palace. Goals from Charlie Austin and Jake Hesketh propelled the Saints to a third-round win. October saw Southampton again triumph at home, this time by a 1–0 margin over Sunderland. A Sofiane Boufal strike midway through the second stanza sent the Saints through.
After a favorable draw in their first two matches, Southampton went sent on the road for the quarterfinals. A 2–0 road win at Arsenal to end November was impressive, with Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand scoring the goals.
Revenge was on the minds of the Southampton players after they drew Liverpool for the semifinals. Liverpool thumped the Saints 6–1 in the quarterfinals of last year’s competition, so Southampton had some extra motivation for this year’s meeting.
The first leg at Anfield saw Southampton sneak out 1–0 winners, thanks to a 20th minute strike from Nathan Redmond. Holding a tough team like Liverpool scoreless for one match is tough enough, but Southampton were able to defend for their lives in the second leg.
Goalkeeper Fraser Forster made three saves in the clean sheet, while a late counter-attacking goal from Shane Long clinched Saints a spot in February’s final. It was a great feat for Southampton, who have never won the League Cup and finished runners-up back in 1979. The South Coast side are surely underdogs for the final, and could easily shock Manchester United after already beating Arsenal and Liverpool.
The big contracts and big name players might be on Mourinho’s side, but I wouldn’t count out the work-ethic and determination that Puel has brought to Southampton.
Hope you enjoyed, and be sure to check back for more preview’s of whats sure to be an exciting final!
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