The Capital One Cup will once again be part of the Sunderland fixture list again, with the second round draw being made this Thursday. ReadSunderland take a look at Sunderland’s best and worst moments in the capital one cup,
Best Moment: 2013/14
We will look for any excuse to relive the wonderful cup run that saw Sunderland topple giants Manchester United and Chelsea to reach the final of the 2014 competition. A rare appearance at the Wembley arch was the icing on the cake of a fantastic and whirlwind season for Sunderland both in the league and cup competitions. Three different managers watched over the team during the course of the cup run, Paolo Di Canio, Kevin Ball and Gus Poyet playing their part.
An early round scare which required four goals in the final 15 minutes against MK Dons was the beginning of the rollercoaster ride. Victories against Peterborough and Southampton followed before the main challenge arrived in Chelsea. A late goal from Fabio Borini took the game to extra-time, where another late goal from Ki-Sung Yueng took Sunderland to the semi-finals against Manchester United. Another Borini goal settled the first leg before Sunderland travelled to Manchester for a night that will live long in the memory of Black Cats fans. Two late goals from either side took the game to penalties where Vito Mannone became the hero saving the penultimate penalty from Rafael, sending the away support into raptures and Sunderland to Wembley.
A great day at Wembley for Sunderland ended in disappointment. Despite Borini giving the Black Cats an early lead, they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat and finished the competition as honourable runners up.
Worst Moment: 2012/13 & 2014/15
Two to choose from in terms of the worst moments in recent cup history. Lodged either side of the marvellous cup run of 2014 came two disappointing and humbling defeats for the Black Cats. The 2012/13 season saw Sunderland host rivals Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the cup. Murmurs of a potential cup run were circulating amongst fans prior to the game with 32,000 turning up for the midweek clash. However, the first-half Scott McDonald goal silenced the home support and cost them a chance to progress to the quarter-finals.
Another disappointment was last season’s third round defeat to Stok City at the Stadium of Light. A rare Jozy Altidore goal was not enough to prevent Stoke City from knocking Sunderland out of the tournament on the back of their cup final appearance the year previous.
