{"id":77083,"date":"2023-02-22T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T07:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/?p=77083"},"modified":"2023-02-21T20:53:07","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T20:53:07","slug":"ten-years-on-semi-finals-beckon-for-laudrups-swans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/2023\/02\/22\/ten-years-on-semi-finals-beckon-for-laudrups-swans\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten years on &#8211; Semi-finals beckon for Laudrup&#8217;s Swans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ten years ago this week the Swans won their first &#8211; and to date only &#8211; major trophy when they lifted the Capital One Cup at Wembley following a 5-0 win over Bradford City.\u00a0 All this week we will take a trip back down memory lane with a look at the road to that trophy which started back in August 2012 &#8211; six months before the majestical final day.<\/p>\n<p>After disposing of the holders in the fourth round, the Swans were drawn at home in their first ever quarter final in the competition &#8211; Middlesbrough being the visitors to the Liberty Stadium.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty aligncenter\"><a id='wlgJBnbuTDNdRvmEpcxahg' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/158278104' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'wlgJBnbuTDNdRvmEpcxahg',sig:'E8lDUDpa45Y7eJkw13XBRn_iuptV0rWxmxEYXZIS564=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'158278104',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/div>\n<p>Report &#8211; BBC Sport<\/p>\n<p class=\"qa-introduction gel-pica-bold\" role=\"introduction\" data-reactid=\".rddgpu9hh0.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-1\"><em>Swansea City have reached the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time in their history after a Seb Hines own goal ended Middlesbrough&#8217;s hopes.<\/em><\/p>\n<div data-reactid=\".rddgpu9hh0.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-2\">\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".rddgpu9hh0.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-2.0\"><em>Boro looked dangerous for large parts, with captain Grant Leadbitter denied three times by keeper Gerhard Tremmel.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".rddgpu9hh0.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-3\"><em>Swansea gradually improved and Jonathan de Guzman&#8217;s free-kick was tipped onto the bar by a fine Jason Steele save.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".rddgpu9hh0.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-4\"><em>Hines then rose to head into his own net from a corner to send Swansea to their first League Cup semi-final.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".rddgpu9hh0.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-5\"><em>The Championship visitors will feel they deserved better after coping comfortably with Swansea&#8217;s attacks for the majority of the game.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"getty aligncenter\"><a id='LkABIaIyTBpVJ5vv-N9APw' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/158275758' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'LkABIaIyTBpVJ5vv-N9APw',sig:'4jcahGnDB_cS6swvWFfcMUrSZLoqLf38WEtp7-bhEpo=',w:'594px',h:'472px',items:'158275758',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".rddgpu9hh0.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-6\"><em>And they came within inches of forcing the match into extra-time as Ishmael Miller&#8217;s low cross evaded Scott McDonald at the far post.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Swansea may well be collecting notable scalps in a second impressive Premier League season, but manager Michael Laudrup wants to win silverware.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>No trophies are awarded to teams who finish in mid-table, he said, but cup competitions can open avenues to success for clubs adrift in the title race.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>And after Arsenal&#8217;s shock defeat to League Two side Bradford City 24 hours earlier, Swansea&#8217;s prospects of ending a 100-year wait for one of England&#8217;s major trophies now appear greater than ever.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This was no easy passage for the Swans, though. They lacked intensity and desire, and hardly looked likely to unlock a disciplined Boro defence.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The winning goal came after Swansea&#8217;s only dominant period of the match, which began with the introduction of midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Another substitute, Luke Moore, and Michu had shots blocked in the area as they finally exerted some pressure, before Steele produced a wonderful save to tip De Guzman&#8217;s free-kick onto the bar.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"getty aligncenter\"><a id='tNhC0p3eSf1alIAWJcL8Dw' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/158279566' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'tNhC0p3eSf1alIAWJcL8Dw',sig:'qelt3khkupFFz3BzGTxMB3mw4Z_XGHFYuzYXnmjUdsA=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'158279566',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/div>\n<p><em>A flurry of corners followed and the unfortunate Hines got his attempted header all wrong as he somehow managed to face his own goal while rising to challenge Garry Monk.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray was unashamedly honest in suggesting this tie was a distraction from the serious business of searching for promotion to the Premier League.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>But there was nothing half-hearted about his side&#8217;s performance. They almost caught Swansea cold after just 30 seconds when Leadbitter was denied by Chico Flores and then failed to make the most of the rebound.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Leadbitter then had the only other notable chances of a subdued first half.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>His low drive forced Tremmel to save at full stretch but he then fired straight at the keeper from inside the area.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Those missed opportunities proved to be costly as Swansea finally stirred from their slumber in the final 20 minutes, and Hines&#8217; unfortunate intervention gave the visitors little time to find a response.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"getty aligncenter\"><a id='_hGkudGlQrdH0msZnomE-g' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/158278105' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'_hGkudGlQrdH0msZnomE-g',sig:'wYTcYujwtsS7PPPnKQpq2hXl1o78aO0EpcCwblWKUWU=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'158278105',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ten years ago this week the Swans won their first &#8211; and to date only &#8211; major trophy when they lifted the Capital One Cup at Wembley following a 5-0 win over Bradford City.\u00a0 All this week we will take a trip back down memory lane with a look at the road to that trophy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[293,49,203],"tags":[665],"class_list":["post-77083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-first-team","category-news","category-opinion","tag-the-2022-23-season"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackarmy.net\/wp67\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}