Shane Long hammer wraps up Wembley date for Southampton

Liverpool 0 Southampton 1 (Southampton win 2-0 on aggregate): Anfield has a long-held reputation for great cup nights. Yet all the noise the Kop could muster was not enough to carry Liverpool to Wembley. Instead, the glory was all Southampton’s.

At the end of a tense EFL Cup semi-final second leg, Shane Long finished a thrilling counter-attack by hammering a pass from fellow substitute Josh Sims into the net, and the travelling fans celebrated wildly.

That the Saints have reached the final of this competition for the first time since 1979 is a true achievement. Every summer, the club sell on key players, and occasionally lose a manager too. Claude Puel arrived before the start of the season amid a mood of pessimism at St Mary’s. He has responded by taking them to Wembley.