On this day a decade ago, Sunderland defeated Manchester United in the League Cup semi-final to secure their place at Wembley!
From going down in the first half to then scoring in extra time, conceding a late sucker punch and then sneaking through on penalties, it was a real rollercoaster of emotions and this game really summed up what it’s like to be a Sunderland fan.
The Lads went into it with the advantage, after a hard-earned 2-1 home win in the first leg. But of course it wasn’t going to be easy - despite United’s poor season under Moyes, they were still the favourites and Old Trafford was never an easy place to visit.
The second leg began in a cagey manner, but United had the slightly better start. Darren Fletcher was unlucky to see his effort strike the post, with Vito Mannone reacting to save Danny Welbeck’s follow-up.
The Red Devils did go ahead when two former Sunderland men combined; Danny Welbeck flicked on a corner and Jonny Evans met it unmarked at the back post for an easy header. We had defended well and had a couple of chances ourselves (most notably a Borini shot following a great passing move) so it was perhaps harsh that we conceded before half time.
Poyet’s side controlled the second half, sticking to his passing philosophy which gave us a decent bit of possession. But we couldn’t carve any real chances despite having lots of set pieces. United looked dangerous on the counter-attack but Javier Hernandez was wasteful in front of goal. They were 1-0 up in the game which made it 2-2 on aggregate. Extra Time loomed and, although we had probably been the better team, it would be daft to write off Manchester United so late in a cup tie.
With ET almost up, we all thought the game was won when David De Gea totally misjudged a Phil Bardsley long-shot and spilled it into the net. However, the home side piled forward and threw the kitchen sink at us in added time. I think the Sunderland fans in that away end were still celebrating when Januzaj picked out Hernandez to make it 2-1 in the match and 3-3 on aggregate, sending us to penalties.
And what ensued was the worst shootout you’ll ever see - not that we cared when it was all over! We thought we’d blown our chance when Craig Garder and Steven Fletcher missed our first two spot kicks, with Welbeck missing for them but Darren Fletcher putting their noses ahead. Three penalties each remained at this point.
Marcos Alonso showed his quality with an unstoppable penalty before Mannone stopped Januzaj’s effort, meaning it was all equal with two left each. Ki had the coolest head in Old Trafford, sending De Gea the wrong way, then Phil Jones smashed his over the bar. 2-1 to Sunderland with one kick each remaining.
Johnson missed his chance to win the game, but Mannone wrote himself into the history books by denying Brazilian Rafael. It sealed Sunderland’s first major cup final since ‘92! The shootout almost descended into farce, only three of the 10 kicks found the back of the net, but it was such a mad end to an incredibly nervous game of football.
That famous cup run of course did not end with silverware, but it did kickstart Gus’ Great Escape and filled us all with passion and pride for our club. Some argue that it’s better to be out of the cups, to focus on the league and have a lighter fixture list. This season proved that a cup run can be pure magic and lift the whole club.
