SO IMPRESSIVE: Southampton man received great reward for breaking international record ….

Southampton boss Claude Puel feels his side deserved their place in the EFL Cup final following their 2-0 aggregate victory over Liverpool.

With a 1-0 lead entering the second leg at Anfield, Saints secured their first trip to Wembley since winning the Football League Trophy in 2010. Shane Long scored in stoppage time against intense pressure from the home team.

In their 131-year existence, Saints have only made it to the EFL Cup final once, losing to Manchester United in 1979. Should they advance past Hull in their semifinal match on Thursday, they may once more play the Red Devils.

Additionally, they have advanced to the championship game without giving up a goal, and manager Puel feels that his team and the club’s supporters deserve this.

He stated to Sky Sports 1: “Excellent. Wonderful for the entire team and a worthy reward for all of their hard work.

He told Sky Sports 1: “Fantastic. Fantastic for all the squad and it is a good reward because they all their very hard work. To find this opportunity to play in a cup final is fantastic, over two legs we deserved it, because were fantastic in the first leg at home with just one goal with many opportunities.

“Now the goal is to go to Wembley and not just to participate and I hope to win this cup, it’s fantastic for all th supporters, the squad, the staff.

“The second half was difficult for us because there was many chance for Liverpool but in the first half we had two or three chances and could have made more of a difference.

“It is a great reward for the squad and over the two legs I think we deserved to qualify.”