Football
Man United Vs. Southampton: 10 Things about the final
1. Forty-one years ago Southampton shocked Man United by winning the FA Cup final with a 1-0 triumph at Wembley. This remains the south coast club’s only major honour so Claude Puel’s 2017 vintage have the chance to make real history.
2. United are starting to resemble the juggernaut of all Mourinho’s champion sides so they start as firm favourites. The Portuguese also has a fine pedigree in the competition, having won it three previous times. It seems unlikely, then, that Southampton can repeat their 1976 feat. But this is a final and, as they proved, anything can occur.
3. United head into an eighth League Cup final on the back of five straight wins, including hard-fought recent victories over Blackburn Rovers and Saint-Etienne, which have seen Jose Mourinho’s side progress in both the Emirates FA Cup and Europa League. A 1-0 victory in France on Wednesday secured the Reds’ place in the last 16 of the European competition, following a 3-0 first-leg win at Old Trafford, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s winner at Ewood Park set up an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea.
4. Southampton, who have had a fortnight to prepare for the final, defeated Sunderland 4-0 in the Premier League last time out, with January signing Manolo Gabbiadini scoring twice to make it three goals in two appearances for the Saints. That ended a run of three straight defeats for Claude Puel’s side, who secured a 2-0 aggregate success over Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-final to reach Wembley, where they will compete in only their second League Cup final.
5. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has an hamstring and Michael Carrick a calf injury. Both players picked up injuries during Wednesday’s Europa League win and are now doubts for Sunday’s game. Wayne Rooney has also been struggling with a muscle injury but Ander Herrera is set to return from suspension. For United’s opponents, Sofiane Boufal is battling to recover from an ankle injury in time for kick-off, while captain Virgil van Dijk (ankle) and Charlie Austin (shoulder) are longer-term absentees.
6. Mourinho’s men began the EFL Cup run with a 3-1 victory away to League One side, Northampton Town back in September, before a Juan Mata strike earned United a 1-0 victory in a tight derby to knock out cup holders City at Old Trafford. Braces from Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial helped the Reds ease through a quarter-final tie against West Ham United with a 4-1 triumph. In the semi-finals, the Reds saw off a resilient Hull City 3-2 on aggregate. United won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford, but the Tigers edged the return 2-1 to end United’s 17-match unbeaten run; it’s Man United’s only defeat in the last 25 matches in all competitions.
Southampton, meanwhile, encountered Premier League opposition in all four previous rounds of this year’s EFL Cup. Puel’s outfit overcame Crystal Palace 2-0 in the third round, before a 1-0 victory over Sunderland set up a tough quarter-final clash away at Arsenal. Goals from Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand secured a famous 2-0 win for the Saints, who reached their first League Cup semi-final since 1987. In the last four, they recorded a 1-0 first-leg win over Liverpool, before a late Shane Long goal at Anfield doubled the Saints’ aggregate advantage and ensured they reached Wembley without conceding a single goal.
7. United are targeting a fifth League Cup triumph and a first since 2010. The Reds came from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 that day, with record goalscorer Wayne Rooney heading the winner 16 minutes from time after Michael Owen cancelled out James Milner’s opener. The result meant United became the first team to successfully defend the League Cup trophy since 1990, after also winnng the competition in 2009 in a penalty shoot-out against Tottenham Hotspur. The 2005 League Cup was Mourinho’s first trophy in English football; the manager went on to win it twice more in 2007 and 2015 with Chelsea, maintaining his impressive 100 per cent win record in domestic cup finals in England.
Southampton, on the other hand, are yet to win the competition and their only previous final appearance came in 1979, when they lost 3-2 to Nottingham Forest. The Saints last featured in a domestic final in 2003, losing 1-0 to Arsenal in the FA Cup. Puel will also be hoping he can win his first silverware since coming to England, after the Frenchman took charge at St Mary’s last summer.
8. Ibrahimovic scored twice on his Old Trafford debut as United beat Southampton 2-0 when the sides met at the beginning of the season. In the 2015/16 campaign, both sides recorded away wins as Martial’s brace secured a 3-2 success for United at St Mary’s, while a late header from Austin was enough to give the Saints all three points in Manchester.
9. In an exclusive interview withManUtd.com, full-back Antonio Valencia gave his thoughts on the final, saying: “In such an important game, you really need to be mentally strong and fully focused on the game, even more so when it’s at a fantastic stadium like Wembley, with all its history. Let’s hope that’s how it is in this final and we’re all concentrating on our jobs and we can manage to win the cup.”
10. Also speaking to Southampton’s club website, Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster said: “We’ve got huge respect for Man United. They obviously have a world-class manager and world-class players in every position, but there’s nothing to fear. You go out and give it everything you’ve got, and hopefully on the day that’s all it takes.”
