LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom (AFP) — Liverpool overturned a primary leg deficit to achieve the League Cup last with a 4-0 win on Thursday and ramp up the stress on Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou.
Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk had been on course for the Reds, who will face Newcastle at Wembley on March 16 for the primary silverware of the English season.
Liverpool stay on track for a quadruple in a dream debut season for Arne Slot.
They get pleasure from a six-point lead on the high of the Premier League, have cruised into the final 16 of the Champions League and go to Championship strugglers Plymouth within the FA cup fourth spherical on Sunday.
Spurs’ trophy drought however goes on. Tottenham final lifted silverware in 2008 and Postecoglou now has one much less alternative to fulfil his promise of successful a trophy in his second season.
There’s hypothesis the Australian might be proven the door if one other goes awry away to Aston Villa within the FA Cup on the weekend with Spurs languishing 14th within the Premier League.
Regardless of having extra glamorous titles to win, Slot confirmed his need to make the League Cup his first trophy as Liverpool boss by naming his strongest obtainable workforce bar the standard rotation in aim for cup competitions as Caoimhin Kelleher changed Alisson Becker.
New signing Kevin Danso was compelled straight in to Tottenham’s injury-ravaged defence, whereas Mathys Tel additionally made an early debut off the bench after Richarlison hobbled off injured.
Liverpool had scored 4 in every of the earlier two conferences between the edges at Anfield and repeated that feat to make mild of their 1-0 first leg defeat in north London final month.
The house aspect had taken the primary quarter to search out their stride however the stress constructed after Szoboszlai ran offside earlier than sweeping house Salah’s cross.
From the Egyptian’s subsequent supply into the field, Spurs didn’t escape as Gakpo drilled in first time to maneuver clear as the highest scorer on this season’s competitors with 5 objectives.
Antonin Kinsky stored Salah ready for his aim with a high-quality save moments later, however on the different finish of the sector Richarlison lay susceptible to go away Postecoglou’s workforce additional depleted.
Already with out file signing Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Timo Werner and Wilson Odobert in attacking areas, Tottenham by no means regarded able to mounting the risk they wanted to outlive the Liverpool onslaught.
The decisive blow got here 5 minutes into the second half when Kinsky rushed off his line however was overwhelmed to the ball by Darwin Nunez and caught the Uruguayan.
Salah ruthlessly dispatched the ensuing penalty into the highest nook for his twenty sixth aim of the season.
Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch fired off the put up as Liverpool put their foot right down to kill the tie off.
The killer third aim got here quarter-hour from time when Connor Bradley, who excelled within the absence of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, performed in Szoboszlai to fit house.
Van Dijk then uncovered Spurs’ struggles defending set-pieces by heading within the fourth from a nook to rub salt within the guests’ wounds.
Newcastle are eying an finish to their very own 56-year look forward to a significant trophy after a formidable 4-0 humbling of Arsenal on combination within the different semi-final.
However the Magpies have the unenviable job of stopping Slot’s juggernaut if they’re to take action.
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