Second round - Swansea 3 Barnsley 1, August 28, 2012
Luke Moore's double ensured the Swans advanced against Championship outfit Barnsley at the Liberty Stadium. Danny Graham - who moved to Sunderland in January - got the opener and Moore's first put the hosts in control, but they had to survive some nervy moments after Bobby Hassell pulled a goal back. The Tykes briefly threatened to find a leveller before Moore's second of the evening sealed the win and extinguished any lingering hopes of a cup upset.
Third round - Crawley 2 Swansea 3, September 25, 2012
Manager Michael Laudrup has spoken of this game as a turning point in his side's season after Garry Monk's late winner spared their blushes against the League One side. Michu put Swansea ahead but they found themselves 2-1 down as Josh Simpson and Hope Akpan struck, only for Danny Graham and Monk to strike. When Swansea look back on a memorable season come the summer it's unlikely a win at Crawley will be the first memory that springs to mind, but it may well prove to be the most important. From small seeds and all that...
Fourth round - Liverpool 1 Swansea 3, October 31, 2012
Swansea got one over former boss Brendan Rodgers by knocking out cup holders Liverpool at Anfield. The game was supposed to be all about the Ulsterman but as it turned out his former club proved they were doing pretty well without him. Chico Flores and Nathan Dyer put Swansea in cruise control in establishing a two-goal lead, before Luis Suarez got Liverpool back into the contest as he reduced the deficit. The ever impressive Jonathan de Guzman ensured it was the Welsh club who went through though when he bagged a killer third.
Quarter-final - Swansea 1 Middlesbrough 0, December 12, 2012
Swansea made it through to just their third cup semi-final as they ground down battling Middlesbrough. They needed an own goal from Seb Hines with just nine minutes remaining to seal their place in the last four as the visitors battled to victory in their 12th consecutive away fixture in the League Cup. It was far from a classic display from the Swans but on a cold night on Teesside they demonstrated the side Laudrup has fine-tuned since arriving in the summer has plenty of fight and is not just about playing pretty football.
Semi-final, first leg - Chelsea 0 Swansea 2, January 9, 2013
Few were expecting Swansea to cause too much trouble for the European champions at Stamford Bridge, but a stunning smash-and-grab raid put them within sight of Wembley. Swansea had to deal with extended spells of Chelsea pressure, but Michu and Danny Graham took advantage of uncharacteristic lapses by Branislav Ivanovic to stun Rafael Benitez's side. In many respects it was the perfect away performance masterminded by Laudrup. It's fair to say the quality of Swansea's play, both with the ball and without it, will not have gone unnoticed in bigger clubs' boardrooms.
Semi-final, second leg - Swansea 0 Chelsea 0, January 23, 2013
Swansea made it through to Wembley following a comfortable draw with Chelsea in what was the most part an uneventful second leg - at least on the pitch. The Blues had plenty of possession but failed to translate it into creating clear-cut openings. Instead, the match was notable for an incident involving a ballboy and Eden Hazard which resulted in the Chelsea forward being given a straight red card. Said ballboy was accused of stealing the limelight from a Swansea side that was in the process of making history but should Ashley Williams lift the Capital One Cup on Sunday it's likely a forgettable incident all-round will be little more than a footnote.
