Shane Long struck a stoppage-time winner as Southampton upset Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield Wednesday to become the first side to reach the League Cup final without conceding after expertly manning the barricades in their last-four second leg clash. Liverpool laid siege to Southampton's goal in the second half having been outplayed in the opening 45 minutes, but the visitors were doggedly determined to keep the hosts at bay and poached a winner at the death to seal a 2-0 aggregate victory. Southampton had chances to put the tie to bed in the first half, with Dusan Tadic and Steven Davis guilty of poor finishing, but after the break it was all Liverpool and Daniel Sturridge wasted two superb chances. With the seconds ticking away, Liverpool felt it should have had a penalty when Divock Origi appeared to be tripped in the area, but Southampton broke swiftly and substitute Long blasted a shot past Loris Karius. Southampton, who has sold millions of pounds worth of players to Liverpool in recent seasons, will face either Manchester United or Hull City in the final. United will take a 2-0 lead into the semifinal second leg at Hull Thursday. Southampton's victory continued a remarkable run that has seen it shut out Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Arsenal and now Liverpool, the Premier League's top scorers. The Saints, who have not won a major trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 1976, arrived at Anfield with a gameplan that worked to perfection as the visitors sat back and let Liverpool have the ball, while looking to spring fast, incisive counter attacks at every opportunity. Leeds blanks Forest Chris Wood scored his 20th goal of the season as Leeds United went third in the English Championship Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest whose relegation fears intensified. Wood, who had a goal disallowed in the first half for offside, opened the scoring in the 56th minute when he got away from Michael Mancienne to net his sixth goal in his last four league games. The host doubled the lead with 16 minutes remaining when Souleymane Doukara cracked a thunderous strike into the net from the edge of the area. Leeds moved third in the second tier on 51 points, nine adrift of leaders Brighton & Hove Albion, while Forest are 19th, five points clear of the relegation zone. — Reuters
