Soccer

BIG Ange Postecoglou proudly boasts that he ‘always’ wins a trophy in his second season at a club – well his chances are diminishing. Arne Slot, who makes no such brags, has clear sights on a quadruple after Liverpool swept aside a patched-up Tottenham to reach the Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle on March 16. Liverpool set up a League Cup final with Newcastle after thrashing Tottenham 4-0Credit: ReutersIt saw Spurs lose their first chance at a trophy this seasonCredit: EPAThe only consolation for Spurs boss Postecoglou is that Slot’s men aren’t competing in the Europa League – a competition in which the north London side have reached the last 16. Spurs may have held a slim first-leg advantage but this Anfield mission always looked highly improbable. It turned into a 90-minute exercise in an irresistible force hammering against the flimsiest of objects.In fact, Tottenham failed to manage a single shot on target – as the pressure will inevitably ramp up again on gaffer Postecoglou. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLCody Gakpo fired Liverpool ahead on the night before Mo Salah’s penalty, early in the second half, earned the Premier League leaders an aggregate advantage they never looked like surrendering.Dominik Szoboszlai secured the result with a third and Virgil van Dijk headed a fourth as Liverpool headed towards Wembley Way with an imperious strut. Spurs v Newcastle would have represented a dream final between two major clubs so desperate for silverware.But instead the holders breezed through to a record 15th League Cup final, where they will be firm favourites to defeat Eddie Howe’s side.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSIn fairness to Postecoglou, he made that second-season boast before his squad was so severely ravaged by injuries. He was forced to employ a January signing in goal, a debutant at centre-half and a teenage midfielder at right-back and the idea they were ever going to fend off Slot’s side was always fanciful.The rout started with a swing of Cody Gakpo’s right footCredit: ReutersLiverpool’s Dutch star is in fine formCredit: AFPAnge Postecoglou gives Tottenham fan death stare in tense tunnel confrontation after Leicester defeatBut Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round visit to Aston Villa now takes on even greater significance for a Spurs side marooned in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Lucas Bergvall’s late strike had given Spurs their slender advantage – after the Swede had been lucky to avoid a yellow card. But even a month-long break hadn’t seen Tottenham’s injury crisis ease.And so Austrian defender Kevin Danso, signed on loan from French club Lens with a view to a permanent summer move, was handed a swift debut. Slot brought in keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, along with Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones, for his first major Anfield knock-out tie. Van Dijk gave Richarlison a nasty elbow in the face inside the first three minutes, but referee Craig Pawson and his VAR were unmoved. Liverpool were soon pinning back their visitors but Postecoglou’s patched-up, thrown-together defence were looking resolute, blocking shot after shot, bodies firmly on the line. Nobody will be surprised to read that Mo Salah scored, againCredit: ReutersBen Davies was treated for a gashed forehead, having to change his white shirt which was splashed with claret. Salah had a shot deflected wide, Nunez directed a header straight at keeper Antonin Kinsky.And on the half-hour, Szoboszlai netted with an angled shot from a Salah pass, only to be flagged offside.  At times it felt like it was going to be a 90-minute attack-versus-defence drill but Spurs did have their moments, forcing a couple of corners, relieving the suffocating pressure. But on 34 minutes, that pressure told. Yves Bissouma was guilty of a sloppy pass straight to Ryan Gravenberch, who fed Salah. The Egyptian delivered a cross with the outside of his boot, evading Nunez and Tottenham’s central defenders before Gakpo lashed home. So often at Anfield, one Liverpool goal goes in and a damn bursts.And soon, it was almost two, Gakpo centring and Salah volleying into the ground before Kinsky tipped his effort on to the bar. Before half-time, Richarlison suffered an injury, thumping the ground with frustration before he limped off to the jeers of the Anfield crowd – once an Evertonian, always an Evertonian. Mathys Tel, the deadline loan signing from Bayern Munich, arrived as seven minutes of first-half injury-time was called. Even that felt like a long slog for Tottenham to survive but they managed to escape to their dressing-room still level on aggregate. Straight after the restart Kinsky was turning a Salah shot around the post, then pushing out a Szoboszlai header and a Gakpo shot. With the Kop howling in his ears and the shots raining down, Tottenham’s Czech keeper was never going to last much longer. Szoboszlai ended any chance Spurs had of thinking they could turn it aroundCredit: APNobody was stopping Van Dijk getting in on the scoringCredit: GettyAnd when Spurs gifted possession lazily again, Salah angled a pass towards Nunez, who was tripped by an onrushing Kinsky. Salah stepped up and leathered the spot-kick into the roof of the net. It was his 26th goal of the season in all competitions – bettering last season’s tally by the first week of February.Postecoglou had a reshuffle, sending on Bergvall and Pedro Porro, Djed Spence to the right wing and Archie Gray to left-back.Belatedly, Spurs showed some positive intent, without ever forcing a save from Kelleher. Jamie Redknapp’s reactionEx-Tottenham and Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp was stunned that Spurs couldn’t muster one effort on goal – the first time they’ve not done so under Postecoglou.He said: “I can’t get my head round them not having one shot on target in a semi-final.”Not having one shot on target in the semi-final second leg when you’re trying to change the course of your history.”(There’s) the one half-chance when Son (Heung-min) manufactures a step-over and hits the bar but even then you just felt the game had gone for them.”There’s been some lows – Palace, Everton and Ipswich this season – but that today, when you look at that scoreline, it’s just horrendous… so abject.”Gravenberch cracked a shot against the post and then Liverpool sealed the deal. Alexis Mac Allister, fresh off the bench, fed the excellent Conor Bradley, whose first-time pass teed up Szoboszlai to fire past Kinsky. READ MORE SUN STORIESSon Heung-Min smashed an angled shot against the crossbar soon after but it was way too late – and Van Dijk, whose header defeated Chelsea in last year’s final, nodded in from a corner in front of a rapturous Kop.The idea that Spurs might be on their way to Wembley was just an Aussie’s dream.It was a big thumbs up from Liverpool boss Arne Slot at the endCredit: APUnlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club. 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