Liverpool 4 Tottenham 0 (agg: 4-1): Reds set up Newcastle final as Postecoglou loses first chance at trophy in huge week

BIG Ange Postecoglou proudly boasts that helium ‘always’ wins a trophy successful his 2nd play astatine a nine - good his chances are diminishing. 

Arne Slot, who makes nary specified brags, has wide sights of a quadruple aft Liverpool swept speech a patched-up Tottenham to scope the Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle connected March 16. 

The lone consolation for Spurs brag Postecoglou is that Slot’s men aren’t competing successful the Europa League - a contention successful which the northbound London broadside person reached the past 16. 

Spurs whitethorn person held a slim first-leg vantage but this Anfield ngo ever looked highly improbable. 

It turned into a 90-minute workout successful an irresistible unit hammering against the flimsiest of objects. 

Cody Gakpo fired Liverpool up connected the nighttime earlier Mo Salah’s penalty, aboriginal successful the 2nd half, earned the Premier League leaders an aggregate vantage they ne'er looked similar surrendering.

Dominik Szoboszlai secured the effect with a 3rd and Virgil Van Dijk nutted a 4th arsenic Liverpool headed towards Wembley Way with an imperious strut. 

Spurs v Newcastle would person represented a imagination last betwixt 2 large clubs truthful hopeless for silverware.

But alternatively the holders breezed done to a grounds 15th League Cup Final, wherever they volition beryllium steadfast favourites to decision Eddie Howe’s side.

In fairness to Postecoglou, helium made that second-season boast earlier his squad was truthful severely ravaged by injuries. 

He was forced to employment a January signing successful goal, a debutant astatine centre-half and a teenaged midfielder astatine right-back and the thought they were ever going to fend disconnected Slot’s broadside was ever fanciful.

But Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round sojourn to Aston Villa present takes connected adjacent greater value for a Spurs broadside marooned successful the bottommost fractional of the Premier League table. 

Lucas Bergvall’s precocious onslaught had fixed Spurs their slender vantage - aft the Swede had been fortunate to debar a yellowish card. 

But adjacent a month-long interruption hadn’t seen Tottenham’s wounded situation ease.

And truthful Austrian defender Kevin Danso, signed connected indebtedness from French nine Lens with a presumption to a imperishable summertime move, was handed a swift debut. 

Slot brought successful keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, on with Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones, for his archetypal large Anfield knock-out tie. 

Van Dijk gave Richarlison a nasty elbow successful the look wrong the archetypal 3 minutes but ref Craig Pawson and his VAR were unmoved. 

Liverpool were soon pinning backmost their visitors but Postecoglou’s patched-up, thrown-together defence were looking resolute, blocking changeable aft shot, bodies firmly connected the line. 

Ben Davies was treated for a gashed forehead, having to alteration a achromatic garment which was splashed with claret. 

Salah had a changeable deflected wide, Nunez directed a header consecutive astatine keeper Antonin Kinsky.

And connected the half-hour, Szoboszlai netted with an angled changeable from a Salah pass, lone to beryllium spotted offside.  

At times it felt similar it was going to beryllium a 90-minute attack-versus-defence drill but Spurs did person their moments, forcing a mates of corners, relieving the suffocating pressure. 

But connected 34 minutes, that unit told. Yves Bissouma was blameworthy of a sloppy walk consecutive to Ryan Gravenberch, who fed Salah. 

The Egyptian delivered a transverse with the extracurricular of his boot, evading Nunez and Tottenham’s cardinal defenders earlier Gakpo lashed home. 

So often astatine Anfield, 1 Liverpool extremity goes successful and a damn bursts.

And soon, it was astir two, Gakpo centring and Salah volleying into the crushed earlier Kinsky tipped his effort connected to the bar. 

Before half-time, Richarlison suffered an injury, thumping the crushed with vexation earlier helium limped disconnected to the jeers of the Anfield assemblage - erstwhile an Evertonian, ever an Evertonian. 

Mathys Tel, the deadline indebtedness signing from Bayern Munich, arrived arsenic 7 minutes of first-half injury-time was called. 

Even that felt similar a agelong slog for Tottenham to past but they managed to flight to their dressing-room inactive level connected aggregate. 

Straight aft the restart Kinsky was turning a Salah changeable astir the post, past pushing retired a Szobszlai header and a Gakpo shot. 

With the Kop howling successful his ears and the shots raining down, Tottenham’s Czech keeper was ne'er going to past overmuch longer. 

And erstwhile Spurs talented possession lazily again, Salah angled a walk towards Nunez, who was tripped by an onrushing Kinsky. 

Salah stepped up and leathered the spot-kick into the extortion of the net. It was his 26th extremity of the play successful each competitions - bettering past season’s tally by the archetypal week of February.

Postecoglou held a reshuffle, sending connected Bergvall and Pedro Porro, Djed Spence to the close helping and Archie Gray to left-back.

Belatedly, Spurs showed immoderate affirmative intent, without ever forcing a prevention from Kelleher. 

Gravenberch cracked a changeable against the station and past Liverpool sealed the deal. 

Alexis Mac Allister, caller disconnected the seat fed the fantabulous Conor Bradley, whose first-time walk teed up Szoboszlai to occurrence past Kinsky. 

Son Heung-Min smashed an angled changeable against the crossbar soon aft but it was mode excessively precocious - and Van Dijk, whose header defeated Chelsea successful past year’s final, nodded successful from a country successful beforehand of a rapturous Kop.

The thought that Spurs mightiness beryllium connected their mode to Wembley was conscionable an Aussie’s dream.