Liverpool made impressively gentle work of Tottenham having gone into their semi-final second leg 1-0 down, successful 4-1 on combination to achieve the Carabao Cup closing.
Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham (4-1 agg)
Carabao Cup Semi-Ultimate 2nd Leg | AnfieldFebruary 6, 2024
Objectives: Gakpo 34′, Salah pen 51′, Szoboszlai 75′, Van Dijk 80′
A primary closing for Slot
Wembley, Wembley!
The pre-match nerves have been there after all, however deep down yet one more journey to Anfield South was inevitable given the category this Liverpool squad has.
Maybe unsurprisingly, given the convenience with which he has settled in, Arne Slot will take Liverpool to a closing at his first potential try.
He has persistently balanced rotation and high quality all through this competitors, navigating 4 rounds of Premier League opposition with relative ease, making certain Liverpool attain the Carabao Cup closing for the third time in 4 years.
They are going to meet a Newcastle facet that brushed apart Arsenal with ease within the semi-finals, however have didn’t win at Wembley since 1955.
Liverpool in the meantime have a stellar report on the stadium lately.
Of their final 5 visits to Wembley the Reds have received 4, final shedding within the Neighborhood Defend closing firstly of the 2020/21 season.
Free-flowing soccer
When Liverpool play such free-flowing soccer it’s tempting to recommend it’s harking back to Klopp’s early years.
However that is Slot’s facet now and he has them enjoying fantastically.
Cody Gakpo’s scientific end put the Reds forward following Mo Salah’s direct run, earlier than the Egyptian’s penalty doubled the benefit after his personal inch-perfect go discovered Darwin Nunez, who was introduced down.
Spurs needed to go for the jugular however gaps have been proven and gaps have been taken benefit of. It took Liverpool simply 4 touches to maneuver the ball from the sting of the midway line to the Kop finish internet because of Dominik Szoboszlai’s beautiful end.
Virgil van Dijk’s thumping header was much less aesthetic than the opposite objectives however all through the sport Liverpool have been easy in assault, with out ever wanting like they needed to click on into second gear.
Nunez was his common energetic self, channelling his aggression into a powerful efficiency stuffed with targeted urgent.
Salah did what Salah does, while Szoboszlai confirmed once more why within the latter weeks he’s turning into irreplaceable, in an all-action efficiency.
Gakpo on fireplace…once more
Cody Gakpo loves Anfield and Anfield loves Cody Gakpo.
Alongside his compatriot Ryan Gravenberch, Gakpo has maybe been the shock of the season, not solely via his improved ending however in his all-round play.
His first-half strike moved him to the highest of the Carabao Cup goalscoring charts, with 5.
It’s a contest that Gakpo has beloved lately – final season noticed him rating 4 on the best way to Wembley. Nonetheless, the narrative surrounding the Dutchman at the moment was whether or not Gakpo could be a long-term success at Anfield.
These discussions have been effectively and actually quashed this season, with Gakpo scoring 10 objectives in his final 10 Anfield video games.
With Nunez’s inconsistency, Diogo Jota‘s harm points and Luis Diaz‘s poor league type, Gakpo has stepped up magnificently in latest months.
Whereas Salah might virtually rating and help his option to Liverpool’s help single-handedly, having a second ahead who’s persistently hitting the mark has been essential, and can proceed to be so within the pursuit of silverware this season.
A totally match squad and it exhibits
Arguably 4 members of Liverpool’s strongest XI weren’t included within the beginning lineup, for a mixture of causes, however apart from a barely scrappy first quarter-hour, there was no signal of this hampering Liverpool.
Accidents have been and gone and, with Trent Alexander-Arnold nearing his return, Slot can have a completely match squad to select from, with each participant doing their greatest to point out him why they deserve a spot.
Conor Bradley is unfortunate that he has the perfect right-back on this planet beginning forward of him, in any other case he could be a shoo-in.
The midfield appeared balanced even with out the brilliance of Alexis Mac Allister, with Curtis Jones stepping in capably.
Alongside Harvey Elliott, Jones has proven flashes once more this season, and it’s merely right down to the standard of our different midfielders that he has seen fewer begins than he would love.
Compared to final season’s Carabao Cup heroics, the substitutes have been senior gamers with volumes of expertise, and it is a luxurious Slot have to be delighted with.
Momentum at simply the proper time
Lower than a month in the past Liverpool had drawn to Man United, misplaced to Spurs within the first leg of this tie and, after a snug win over Accrington Stanley, drawn to Nottingham Forest.
These have been under no circumstances poor outcomes when context was utilized, however there have been some murmurings from followers and non-fans alike that possibly the Slot machine was starting to stutter.
Since then resilience has been proven in opposition to Brentford, Lille and Ipswich have been brushed apart and the Bournemouth problem was scoffed at.
Now Spurs have been emphatically overwhelmed. These murmurings, questionable to start with, are effectively and actually gone.
Regardless of Spurs’ struggles, this was a efficiency that confirmed the momentum is effectively and actually in Liverpool’s favour as they head into yet one more important interval.
After Plymouth within the FA Cup, the Reds face Everton, Wolves, Aston Villa, Man Metropolis and Newcastle in a tricky five-game run.
But it’s a run that Liverpool look primed to beat, with a squad that’s purring and a few.
Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham (4-1 agg)
