On this day in 2014, the League Cup Final was played between SAFC and Manchester City, our second ever final in the competition and our first appearance at Wembley since the Play-Off final against Charlton in 1998. Of course, we have been to Wembley since a handful of times...
The run up to the final was immensely enjoyable and sickeningly tense in equal measure at times and the game at Old Trafford summed this up. The way the game lurched from anxiety inducing moments to periods of jubilation so quickly I don’t think I’ll ever forget. It’s moments like that where you realise why you support Sunderland and even though its trite to say, far from being glory hunters, life as a Sunderland fan is about chasing these fleeting moments like the Bardsley goal at Old Trafford or the penalty shootout victory and sharing them with those likeminded people around you. The scenes after our goal from the 9,000 strong away end are unmatched. I must admit I do watch this match with embarrassing regularity.
After the highs against the red half of Manchester, I think most people were willing to cling to those moments, with victory unlikely against the now superior blue half. City were finally stamping their authority on the English game. 2014 saw Manchester City finally usurp their neighbours and won the league this season, becoming the fastest club in Premier League history to score 100 competitive goals in all competitions and, staggeringly, were the first to complete this feat before the end of January. So, when we were about to face them in the final, they had already scored well over 100 goals in all comps. They went on to score 156 goals, smashing the previous goal record, held by United, of 143 goals which had stood since the 50s.
So, we were underdogs. However, looking back at the City squad, some of their players look unimpressive on paper, Costel Pantilimon, Joleon Lescott and Jack Rodwell as Sunderland players ranged from average, to washed up, overweight mercenary, to egregious parasite and complete arsehole. Naturally, the latter two of these players didn’t start for City although Pantilimon did.
Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri, David Silva and Fernandinho are just some of the top, top players City had at their disposal on the day. We had Colback on the left wing. They were blessed with three Argentinian internationals: Aguero, Zabaleta and Demichelis. We had their far worse compatriots: Ignacio Scocco, Oscar Ustari and Santiago Vergini. Indeed, the match had a slight South American flavour with the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini in the dugout for City and the Uruguayan Gus Poyet in charge of us.
Our fans packed Wembley Way just as we had packed Central London the previous night and the atmosphere was incredible on the day. It got a boost very early on, ten minutes in to be precise, when Fabio Borini was put through on goal by Johnson. I needn’t even describe the goal because no doubt, you would’ve been there or watching it, if you are reading this blog. But, in the event that you weren’t – Borini held off Vincent Kompany after being played through and the Italian slotted the ball beyond Pantilimon from a tight angle. Cue Borini’s trademark salute and a rapturous Sunderland end.
This is one of those aforementioned fleeting moments. When you play against a team like City, you have to defend well. In the first half, we actually coped pretty well. Our back line of Bardsley, O’Shea, Brown and the on-loan Marcos Alonso held firm and Mannone didn’t have too much to do. Half time: underdogs 1, oil rich super team 0.
At half time I, being young and naive, thought we could hold on. But eventually, virtually every side succumbs to City and in the second half even a young and optimistic Sunderland fan like myself could sense a goal coming. Soon, it did. Yaya Toure’s strike remains one of the best I’ve ever seen in person. As soon as it went in, you became aware of the gulf in class between the two sides and City pushed on. Quickly after, a Sami Nasri goal saw City pull away and it was unlikely we were going to catch them. We did go for it though and Steven Fletcher had our best chance of the second half before the substitute Jesus Navas secured victory for City in injury time.
Every properly constructed alphabet begins with A and finishes with Z. So too do most Sunderland matches at Wembley begin with optimism and excitement and end in misery. Well, mostly. But I will never forget that moment Borini scored and the great weekend down the Capital. I just hope we can get back there again in my lifetime, and this time we aren't competing in a Pizza Cup or trying to escape the depressing clutches of League One.
