GOAL hero Shane Long has urged Saints to take this “great” opportunity to win a major trophy after he fired Claude Puel’s side into the final of the League Cup.

With Saints besieged in their own half at Anfield, and their 1-0 aggregate lead coming under immense scrutiny by wave after wave of Liverpool attacks in the semi-final second leg, Long sent the travelling fans into delirium by scoring a 90th-minute breakaway goal.

It was also a goal that put the tie beyond Jurgen Klopp’s side with just moments left, and sent Saints to their first major final since the FA Cup in 2003.

“It’s amazing,” said Long. “Obviously coming to a place like Anfield with the players they have, the team they have and the support they have, it’s always going to be a hard task.

“To dig in like we did and keep them quiet and obviously get the winner in front of our own fans was an amazing feeling.”

“We broke and I think I was at the edge of the six-yard box and tried to get forward and help out Simsy (Josh Sims) and I think he saw me early,” Long says, as he describes his goal with a wide smile.

“He did a great thing when he turned inside and committed Jordan Henderson to the ball and I managed to take a touch and slot it past the keeper.

“It’s just an amazing feeling knowing that there was only two or three minutes left, and they needed two goals to have any chance of getting to extra time. We knew that was that and we’re on our way to Wembley.”

It was the Republic of Ireland international’s third goal of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for Saints.

The 30-year-old was delighted that Saints have now started to atone for some of the disappoints of this campaign so far.

He said: “We’ve got a great squad here, some great players. We’re disappointed with how we’re doing in the league and Europe didn’t go to plan either, so it’s nice to reward our fans and ourselves for the hard work we’ve put in by getting to a final.

“We haven’t done it the easy way. We’ve beaten Palace, Sunderland, Arsenal and now Liverpool. That’s all Premier League teams to get to the final and we deserve to be there.

“It’s going to be a tough game there as well, but one we’ll be ready for.”

After beating four Premier League sides on the way to the final – including Arsenal and now Liverpool – without conceding a single goal, Long admits that they got a huge opportunity at their feet.

“It’s a massive thing for a club like Southampton to get to a final and for us players it doesn’t come round too often to get that silverware to look back on your career and show off,” he said.

“ It’s great opportunity for us and we will go there fully ready to win, but it’s not going to be easy.”