League Cup: Liverpool thrashes Spurs to arrange last with Newcastle

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring the staff’s fourth purpose towards Tottenham within the League Cup semifinal on February 6, 2025
| Picture Credit score: Reuters

Holders Liverpool punched their return ticket to Wembley and a League Cup last towards Newcastle United after a 4-0 rout, and 4-1 mixture victory, over a toothless Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Thursday (February 6, 2025).

The runaway favourites took the lead, to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit towards the injury-depleted guests, when Cody Gakpo fired in a right-foot shot within the thirty fourth minute from a Mohamed Salah cross.

Salah added his title to the scoresheet, capturing excessive into the online from the penalty spot within the 51st minute after Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky downed Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai slotted dwelling the third and Virgil van Dijk accomplished the rout with a header.

Newcastle noticed off Tottenham’s north London rivals Arsenal 2-0, and 4-0 on mixture, on Wednesday to safe their second last in three years on March 16.

“I believe the stadium helped loads. We knew we needed to come again,” Gakpo informed Sky Sports activities.

“We went on the market and tried to carry as a lot possibilities as attainable. With the standard now we have, we all know we’re going to get possibilities. It was an excellent win.”

The ultimate shall be Liverpool’s fifteenth within the League Cup however a primary in English soccer for Liverpool’s Dutch supervisor Arne Slot, who changed Juergen Klopp on the finish of final season.

It additionally saved document 10-times League Cup winners Liverpool heading in the right direction for a four-trophy haul this season.

They’re six factors away from Arsenal on the high of the Premier League, with a recreation in hand, led the desk into the final 16 of the Champions League and are nonetheless within the FA Cup.

Defeat was a bitter tablet for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, who has highlighted his document of successful one thing in his second season at a membership however now has solely the Europa League and FA Cup to purpose for.

Striker Richarlison added to his damage considerations when he went off injured in first-half stoppage time, handing a membership debut to new signing Mathys Tel.

Powerful baptism

That proved a baptism of fireside for the Bayern Munich loanee, with Tottenham failing to muster a single shot on track.

“A troublesome evening. Credit score to Liverpool, they have been method too good for us tonight. We by no means actually received to grips with the sport, with or with out the ball, simply allowed them to get management fairly early,” Postecoglou informed ITV tv.

“We by no means actually performed to our potential and our strengths right this moment. We simply kind of shied away from the problem a bit bit,” he added.

“We did not begin the sport properly, we have been method too passive and allowed Liverpool to get right into a rhythm. And once they try this, particularly right here at dwelling, they’re laborious to cease.”

Tottenham would have struggled even with a full roster of gamers towards a aspect whose energy in depth was highlighted by the standard of Alexis Mac Allister and Diogo Jota coming off the bench within the second half.

The scoreline even flattered Tottenham, with a Gakpo shot deflected onto the upright by Kinsky and Ryan Gravenberch hitting the publish within the second half.

Tottenham haven’t gained any silverware since they beat Chelsea within the 2008 League Cup last. They’d crushed Liverpool solely as soon as of their 27 earlier video games at Anfield since 1999.