OptiNews - Friday 20 to Thursday 26 January 2017

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

Get the thoughts of Craig Fleming ahead of a big night for #SaintsFC’s youngsters in the #FAYouthCup: http://sfcne.ws/CFPreMCFCA

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Southampton, Liverpool & Man City discussed in Premier League Daily podcast

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We react to a special night for Southampton who beat Liverpool to reach the EFL Cup final. Shay Given and Tony Gale give their thoughts.

It has been a long 41 years for their fans, but Southampton have the chance to end that wait for a major trophy after beating Liverpool to reach the EFL Cup final - and we have all the reaction.

We also have former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given’s thoughts on current City stopper Claudio Bravo and whether he is good enough for the Premier League.

Plus, we will hear from Jose Mourinho, who has a warning for Manchester United forward Anthony Martial…

Sky Sports News HQ is the place to be for all the transfer news all the way to Deadline Day. Premier League Daily is back tomorrow morning from 10am when we will be joined by Danny Higginbotham & Dean Ashton.

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VIDEO: Watch moment Shane Long goal sent The Saints Pub wild

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IT was a moment that will go down in Saints history.

Saints were under pressure from Liverpool and holding on to just a one goal lead in the EFL Cup semi final second leg.

There had been hearts in mouths when Daniel Sturridge fired over from just yards out and Fraser Forster scrambled to claw away a spilled shot.

But fans need not have worried and late in the game teenager Josh Sims passed to Shane Long, who smashed the ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Saints fans everywhere went wild and none more so than at The Saints Pub.

Click play on the video above to watch and scroll through the gallery to see pictures from the evening.

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

A big night for #SaintsFC’s youngsters. Good luck, lads! :innocent:

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Piece of cake: Stephens says he “loved every minute” of his high-stakes Liverpool appearance

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YOUNG defender Jack Stephens revealed that he “loved every minute of it” as he stood in for Virgil van Dijk in the high-stakes League Cup semi-final second leg at Liverpool.

It wasn’t a night for the faint-hearted, and few would have blamed Stephens, who turns 23 tomorrow, for being overawed by the occasion, as he partnered Maya Yoshida at centre-back in captain Van Dijk’s stead in the memorable 1-0 triumph.

But Stephens produced a stellar display to help send Saints to the Wembley final, and make it five clean sheets in as many League Cup games this term.

“I loved every minute of it,” he said. "Night’s like tonight is why you want to play football and why you work so hard to get to this point, so I just tried to enjoy every minute of it and I did. I loved it.”

“It’s a massive night for the club getting to Wembley to the final,” he continued. “I’m delighted to be a part of it and hopefully we can enjoy the day [the final] and get the win.”

Stephens, who arrived from Plymouth Argyle in 2011, has not played any notable in the first-team until this season.

The Cornishman had previously been shipped out on loan to Swindon, Middlesbrough and Coventry.

But this season under Claude Puel’s guidance, he has become a real option for the first-team, making his sixth appearance of this term at Anfield.

“I’ve been here all season working hard, waiting for my chance,” he said. "I’ve had to be patient and I feel like I’ve taken each game as it comes when I’ve got the opportunity.

“Tonight was just the same, I wanted to treat it like a normal game and just play my normal game and not get too overawed with the occasion.”

Saints were followed to Anfield by more than 3,000 supporters, who Stephens believes had a big impact on the outcome of the match.

“When we ran out of the tunnel at beginning of the game we could hear the Saints fans straight away, so that’s a big help in itself and they’ve carried us over the line really,” he said.

“Everyone did their part and put a shift in, especially second-half,” he added, referring to Saints’ display at Liverpool. “It was a really battle, but we created chance, so it’s more than deserved.”

When Shane Long hit home to seal a 1-0 win and send Saints to Wembley, Stephens sprinted the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Saints fans.

“I just ran. I just ran as fast as I could to get to them and it was massive relief because we knew they then had to score two to get it to extra-time,” he said.

Saints have kept a clean-sheet in each of their five games in this season’s League Cup.

“That’s massive credit to everyone that’s played in all the rounds,” said Stephens. "That’s not just the back four and goalkeepers that have played, it’s the whole team.

“We work very hard, especially the attacking and midfield players, they work very hard.”

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GOSSIP: Ex-Saint Ramirez hands in Boro transfer request less than a season after signing

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Former Saints midfielder Gaston Ramirez has handed in a transfer request at Middlesbrough less than a season after signing for the club, according to a national newspaper.

Ramirez, who was released by Saints at the end of last season, joined Middlesbrough on a three-year contract after signing on a brief loan spell last January.

During the loan period, the former record-signing (£12m) at Saints helped Middlesbrough earn promotion to the Premier League.

There are reports that Premier League champions Leicester are interested in signing the Uruguayan.

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Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

1: Here we go…

Can #SaintsFC see off #MCFC to reach the last eight of the #FAYouthCup? [0-0]

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 26/01/2017 19:12:58

| | Southampton set to secure investment from Chinese companyUSATODAY |
| | 31,461 Wembley Tickets AvailableVITALFOOTBALL |
| | Katharina Liebherr says any Southampton deal would be in club’s "best interests"BELFASTTELE |
|

| Have Southampton unearthed yet another managerial gem in Claude Puel?IBTIMES |
| | AFC Bournemouth: Cherries run rule over son of Saints boss PuelTHISISBOURNEMOUTH |

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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

New content from (- The Ugly Inside News for Southampton)

| Wembley Ticket Arrangements Announced | Find out here all the details about what you need to qualify for a ticket for the League Cup Final at Wembley, yes … 26-01-2017 |

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| Saints At Liverpool The Verdict !19 hours ago |
| The Ugly Inside Video Channel ! The View From The Away Section As Saints Celebrate19 hours ago |
| The Ugly Inside Video Channel ! Liverpool Game Fans Reaction19 hours ago |
| Liverpool 0-1 Southampton - Player Ratings and Reports2 days ago |
| Saints V Liverpool The Preview2 days ago |
| Oriol Romeu Signs New Deal2 days ago |
| Saints Now Turning To Real Madrid Striker2 days ago |
| The Ugly Inside Video Channel ! Opposition View With The Redmen TV !2 days ago |
| Saints At Liverpool ! Dan’s Preview2 days ago |
| Liverpool Concerns As Star Duo Miss Training2 days ago |

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

12: #SaintsFC have made a bright start, with Jonathan Afolabi twice going close to opening the scoring against… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/824697672682631168

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Son of Saints boss is training with Cherries

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AFC Bournemouth are running the rule over midfielder Paulin Puel – the son of Saints boss Claude.

The 19-year-old started for Stephen Purches’s under-21s in this afternoon’s friendly against visitors QPR.

Puel, who came through the youth ranks at Nice, is training with Cherries this week and showed some neat touches in the opening period.

Capped by France under-19s on two occasions, Puel has not played for Nice since dad Claude departed for St Mary’s last summer.

The teenager made 13 appearances during the 2015-16 season when his father was in charge of the Eaglets, 11 of which were in Ligue One.

Prior to that campaign, he had made three outings across two seasons for the Allianz Riviera side, including his debut against Monaco as a 16-year-old.

As a youth player, Puel spent time at Lille and Lyon, spells which coincided with his father being first-team manager at those clubs.

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Vokes with Saints fans at Anfield

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Spot the Burnley striker in the away end at Anfield last night - as Southampton sealed a place in the EFL Cup final. Pictures from @saintfletcher.

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

GOAL: #MCFC 1-0 #SaintsFC (Phil Foden 26)

A low strike from Foden finds the bottom corner as the hosts take the lead.

Retweets: 1

Favourites: 5

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

GOAL: #MCFC 2-0 #SaintsFC (Jadon Sancho 40)

The hosts double their advantage, as Sancho finishes well from Brahim Diaz’s cross.

Retweets: 3

Favourites: 9

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

GOAL: #MCFC 3-0 #SaintsFC (Lukas Nmecha 43)

Nmecha taps in from close range to grab a third for the hosts just before half time.

Retweets: 3

Favourites: 6

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

HALF TIME: #MCFC 3-0 #SaintsFC

Despite a bright start from Craig Fleming’s side, the hosts are in control at the b… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/824706064411136005

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WATCH: Southampton fans joined by Sam Vokes in celebrating Liverpool win

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Burnley striker Sam Vokes was in good voice as he joined Southampton fans in celebrating their EFL Cup semi-final win over Liverpool on Wednesday.

The Saints secured their spot at Wembley with a 1-0 win at Anfield, and 2-0 victory on aggregate, as Shane Long’s late strike ended their 38-year wait for a League Cup final appearance.

Vokes, who was born in Southampton, grew up supporting the club and he mingled with fans and joined in as they sang “we’re going to Wembley”, with a supporter capturing the footage and tweeting the video.

Southampton will play either Manchester United or Hull, who meet in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports 1HD, with Jose Mourinho’s side 2-0 up from the first leg at Old Trafford.

The 27-year-old Vokes started his career at Southampton’s south-coast rivals Bournemouth, who were then in League One.

He moved to Wolves before joining Burnley in July 2012 and scored a penalty as the Clarets lost 3-1 to Southampton in the Premier League in October.

Click on the video above to watch Vokes join in the singing with Southampton fans.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 26/01/2017 20:13:39

| | Report: Southampton discuss Serdar Tasci as possible defensive recruitHEREISTHECITY |
| | The Chinese Have Lander’d?VITALFOOTBALL |
| | Southampton fans react to Jack Stephens’ performance against LiverpoolHEREISTHECITY |
| | Southampton edge ahead in race for Napoli striker - TEAMtalk | Latest Football News & Transfer RumoursTEAMTALK |
| | Wenger - Southampton are absolutely remarkableDAILYCANNON |

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

46: We’re back under way in tonight’s #FAYouthCup tie.

#SaintsFC have made a change, with Michael Obafemi replacin… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/824710726669459456

Retweets: 0

Favourites: 1

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

50: A real shame for Obafemi as he has to make way through injury after colliding with #MCFC’s Aro Muric. Harlem Hale is on. #saintsfc [3-0]

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