That’s all for tonight. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight.
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Ange Postecoglou's reaction
Liverpool fully deserved the victory, they were the far better team. We weren’t able to get a grip on the game, defensively or with the ball. They were too good for us.
We allowed them to get into the game. We didn’t start the game off on the right foot and we weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be. We allowed them to get comfortable and once that happened it was very difficult for us to wrest control back.
We needed to be braver with and without the ball. It’s easier said than done at a place like this against a very good Liverpool team.
I’m disappointed we didn’t give a better account of ourselves. The players are the same – we had a great opportunity and unfortunately we didn’t grab it.
There’s still plenty to play for. We’ve got a big game at Villa on Sunday and that’s where our focus goes.
David Hytner’s report
On Sky Sports, the former Spurs players Jamie Redknapp and Michael Dawson are nailing Spurs – who didn’t have a shot on target – for going down without a fight. I’m not sure, I thought they were just overwhelmed by a fantastic, relentless opponent. They could have played better in possession, certainly, but that’s not the same as a lack of fight.
Cody Gakpo’s reaction
We know with the quality we have we’ll get big chances and hopefully score. It was a very good performance from the whole team and a great win.
The crowd helped us a lot – they give us extra energy again and again.
We’re on the right track but we have to take it game by game, step by step. We’re in one final and we still have a lot to play for. We need to stay calm and focussed.
We’re in a good flow. It’s about consistency; we have to keep the momentum.
Full time: Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham (agg: 4-1)
Liverpool will meet Newcastle at Wembley on 16 March after a crushing victory at Anfield. They were far too good for an injury-hit Spurs and, though it took a while for the goals to come, there was a feeling of inevitability when they did. Cody Gakpo, Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk got the goals; there could have been more.
90+1 min Son, 20 yards out, curls a decent effort onto the roof of the net. Kelleher probably had it covered.
90 min Three minutes of added time.
88 min Liverpool v Newcastle will be a cracking final. They drew 3-3 recently in the Premier League and meet at Anfield three weeks before Wembley. The famous 1974 FA Cup final is their only previous meeting at Wembley (I think).
87 min: Liverpool substitution Jarell Quansah replaces the mighty Virgil van Dijk.
86 min Szoboszlai’s free-kick is headed wide by Jota, who should probably have done better.
84 min Jota’s shot deflects into the side netting at the near post. Spurs look out on their feet.
83 min On reflection, it was naive to expect a Spurs side missing at least five and arguably seven of their strongest XI to live with the best team in Europe.
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82 min: Spurs substitution Mikey Moore for Ben Davies.
82 min: Double substitution Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz replace Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham (agg: 4-1; Van Dijk 80)
And that’s Blockbusters. Virgil van Dijk, who headed the winner in last year’s final, nods Mac Allister’s booming corner into the net to put the seal on a devastating Liverpool performance.
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79 min After another smooth Liverpool move, Robertson’s shot from the edge of the area deflects over the bar off Porro. In their penetration but also their patience, Liverpool have been fantastic tonight.
78 min: Son hits the bar! Out of nothing, an explosive reminder of Son Heung-min’s threat. He runs onto a long ball down the left, cuts inside, beats Konate with a stepover and rams a left-foot shot from a tight angle that thumps the crossbar almost before Kelleher can move.
Mac Allister moved past his man on the halfway line and played a nice angled pass to Bradley, who moade a superb off-tbe-ball run from full-back into the centre. He moved it first time through to Szoboszlai, who took a touch and simply passed the ball into the far corner. Like a knife through butter.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Spurs (agg: 3-1; Szoboszlai 75)
Dominik Szoboszlai seals victory with a beautiful team goal!
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74 min: Gravenberch hits the post! Liverpool work the ball back and forth, 25 yards from goal, before Gravenberch takes a touch and whips an excellent shot that beats the diving Kinsky and bounces off the outside of the left-hand post.
73 min Liverpool have had eight shots on target to Spurs’ none. Son in particular has been sadly ineffective; there’s a good case for bringing on Mikey Moore in his place.
72 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister replace Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones.
71 min An awkward cross from Gray is flapped over the bar by Kelleher.
70 min Robertson’s corner is headed over at the near post by Konate, under a lot of pressure from Bentancur.
68 min Spence has looked quite good since moving to the right wing. He cuts inside Robertson, then moves back outside and sprays a shot over the bar from a tight angle.
66 min Spurs had a decent little spell straight after Salah’s goal but Liverpool are back in control now. Even so, they won’t feel truly comfortable unless they make it 3-1 on aggregate.
65 min By the way Kinsky did get something on the ball before bringing down Nunez for the penalty. But it’s usually the case in the modern game that a very slight touch isn’t enough to invalidate the trip that follows. Whether that’s just, I haven’t a clue. Nunez would have got to the ball, albeit probably not in a goalscoring position, had he not been tripped.
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63 min: Gakpo hits the post! Liverpool take control again. The ball is worked from right to left towards Gakpo, who smashes a left-foot shot from a very tight angle. Kinsky gets enough on it to push it onto the outside of the far post and away.
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61 min Bradley nutmegs Bentancur and hammers a cutback that is poked into the side netting by Nunez. Again, a tough chance.
61 min Gakpo’s chipped cross is headed straight at Kinsky by Szoboszlai, 12 yards out. A tough chance.
59 min Spurs are having more of the ball now, partly with Liverpool’s consent. Bentancur shoots high and wide from distance.
58 min In fact Gray has gone to left-back, with Spence moving to right wing and Kulusevski to No10. Big Ange isn’t going to die wondering.
57 min: Double substitution for Spurs Lucas Bergvall and Pedro Porro replace Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr. I guess Archie Gray will move into midfield.
56 min “Go Kuroda taking Machida Zelvia to their first-ever promotion to the J1 League in his debut season two years ago with some robust long ball in-the-mixer stuff,” says Paul Griffin. “They call him the Japanese John Beck, according to sources in my head. Absolutely fuming that you missed this.”
It’s even more impressive because he took over from the actual John Beck.
55 min Tel makes a good run down the inside-right channel and smashes a cross that deflects behind off Konate. Kulusevski’s inswinger doesn’t beat Nunez at the near post.
54 min “Shout out to Dave Mackay winning the title at Derby in 1974-75 after taking over from Mr Clough?” says Tom Hopkins. “Another insider in a sense, but taking over in rather more chaotic circumstances.”
53 min Spurs know they have to play now, but it will be hard to find any attacking rhythm after defending solidly for almost an hour.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham (agg: 2-1; Salah 51 pen)
Mo Salah scores emphatically, curling the ball into the top-left corner. “I think that’s what you call unstoppable!!” says Alan Smith on Sky. Kinsky went the wrong way but it didn’t matter; that was almost the perfect penalty.
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49 min: Penalty to Liverpool! Salah plays a dangerous pass into the area for Nunez, who gets to the ball a split-second before Kinsky and is taken out. I’d like to see that again as Kinsky might have got a slight touch on the ball, though possibly not strong enough to invalidate his follow through on Nunez.
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48 min “Not entirely sure what the criteria is,” says Dylan Kenny, “but if we’re talking about new managers coming in and turning already successful teams into (arguably) an even better side, you’d do worse than consider Rafa Benitez, who took twice-in-a-row Champions League runners up Valencia to their first league title in 31 years during his first season. Then he repeated the trick two years later – and won the Uefa Cup as well. Not too shabby for someone who had no previous connection to the club.”
47 min Robertson’s near-post corner is headed towards goal by Szoboszlai and pushed away by Kinsky on the line. Either side and he might have struggled to save that.
Moments later Gakpo has a shot blocked by Danso on the six-yard line.
Updated
46 min Liverpool begin the second half and almost score after 30 seconds when Salah’s deflected shot hits the side netting. On reflection Kinsky had it covered.
Half-time reading
Half time: Liverpool 1-0 Tottenham (agg: 1-1)
Attack and defence, invasion and repulsion. It’s been a one-sided first half at Anfield, albeit without Liverpool creating that many clear chances. Cody Gakpo’s quietly emphatic finish brought them level in the tie, and across the half they had 73 per cent of the possession. Spurs are fighting hard but need to do better in possession. At Anfield, on a night like this, that’s easier said than done.
45+6 min “This one maybe doesn’t quite fit but Ancelotti took over at Real Madrid in June 2021 from Zidane,” says Gene Salorio. “SEcondnd time for both of them in the job. Ancelotti then won a League & CL double. I think winning three CLs in a row counts for Zidane as legendary manager, even though they were in his first spell as Madrid manager.”
I suppose the key point with Arne Slot is that, unlike Capello, Fagan, Ancelotti etc, he had no experience of the club at all while also taking over from an iconic manager. That makes it even more impressive, especially when you consider the lack of new signings and the complete lack of melodrama.
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45+4 min Spence (I think) does superbly to get in front of Jones and head Bradley’s cross behind for a corner. For a split-second it looked like Jones was goalside and would have a relatively simple headed chance.
45+3 min “It’s a shame Archie Gray is at right-back rather than Pedro Porro,” writes Rob Knap. “If Porro was on, that would mean, I think, 11 different nationalities in the Spurs team. (Actually, Archie Gray announcing he wants to play for Scotland at half-time would also do the trick.) I know this has happened before, but I don’t think it happens that often...”
45+2 min Kinsky punches nervously behind for a corner with nobody near him. Nothing comes of it so it’s all fine.
45+1 min: Spurs substitution Mathys Tel, 19, comes on for his Spurs debut. There will be seven minutes of added time because of the various injuries. Richarlison is limping heavily and getting precisely no sympathy from the home fans.
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45 min Richarlison’s race is run; Mathys Tel is getting ready to replace him.
44 min: Excellent save by Kinsky! Gakpo’s deep cross is volleyed into the ground and towards goal by Salah. It kicks up really awkwardly and is fingertipped onto the top of the bar by Kinsky. That’s a fine save because he would have expected Salah to make a cleaner contact.
44 min Tottenham haven’t kept the ball well enough. Easy to say from here, obviously, but they look like a team waiting to go 2-0 down before they start to really play.
Richarlison goes down off the ball and slaps the ground angrily.
43 min “Ivan Golac won the Scottish Cup with Dundee United (the first such win in the club’s history) in his first season after replacing the legendary Jim McLean, who had lost six finals in the previous twenty years,” says Simon McMahon. “We were relegated the following season, mind, and he was sacked. So enjoy it while it lasts, Liverpool fans.”
42 min Kulusevski cuts inside from the right, just outside the area, only to slash a rising drive high and wide.
40 min Szoboszlai’s corner is headed away. Spurs are under fairly relentless pressure now.
37 min Salah’s up and under is claimed with more authority by Kinsky. Spurs just need to get to half-time and reassess because Liverpool could finish the tie in the next 10 minutes.
36 min “Ștefan Kovács took over from Rinus Michels, who’d revolutionised the game and taken Ajax to their first European Cup,” says Kári Tulinius. “Kovács added two European Cups to the Ajax trophy cabinet.”
That’s a great shout. I can feel a Knowledge question coming on.
What a fine finish that is from Cody Gakpo. Salah, fed by Bradley, cut inside from the right and flicked an insouciant ball across the area with the outside of the foot. It was missed by everyone in the middle and bounced slightly awkwardly towards Gakpo beyond the far post. He adjusted his feet in a trice and slammed it past Kinsky at the near post. He is so damn hot right now.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Spurs (agg: 1-1; Gakpo 34)
Cody Gakpo is now the leading scorer in this season’s Carabao Cup!
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33 min Spurs have done pretty well so far. Liverpool have been the dominant side, of course they have, but Antonin Kinsky hasn’t had any difficult saves to make. Yet.
(NB: clip contains adult language.)
32 min Jones takes a quick corner on the left. The ball is worked back to Robertson, who curls a teasing ball towards Salah beyond the far post. The angle is very tight and he volleys over with his right foot.
30 min: Szoboszlai has a goal disallowed. It was a neat finish, clipped first-time across Kinsky from Salah’s superb angled pass, but he was a yard offside.
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29 min Gakpo stands up a cross that is headed straight at Kinsky by the backpedalling Nunez. It was a really tricky chance – ten yards out, no pace on the ball and he was jumping backwards.
29 min Spurs look most vulnerable when they attack, such is Liverpool’s threat on the counter-attack. It hasn’t been an exciting game in terms of chances but it is an intriguing one. And the chances will come. No way this ends 0-0. Nope.
26 min Salah’s pass across the area takes a big deflection off Bissouma and goes a few yards wide of the far post with Kinsky scrambling a bit. Liverpool take the corner short, to the distaste of the crowd. Eventually Gakpo and Nunez both have snapshots blocked by Danso and Gray respectively.
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25 min Spurs win another corner on the left. They’re not attacking much but Richarlison is fighting tooth and nail to hold the ball up every time it’s dumped in his general direction.
The corner is cleared and Liverpool break ominously until the ball hits Szoboszlai on the back, allowing Spurs to counter the counter. Sarr’s pass is cut out.
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24 min Just thought of another all-time-great debut season when taking over from an iconic manager: Fabio Capello with AC Milan in 1991-92. Again, though, he’d been at the club for years.
23 min Liverpool have had 74 per cent of the possession. Spurs are not playing with a high line tonight.
22 min Szoboszlai and Gravenberch have shots blocked by Davies and Danso respectively. Both were really well struck, Szoboszlai’s after an elegant slalom into the area from the left.
21 min Bradley’s dangerous cross looks set to reach Robertson until Gray backpedals to head behind for a corner. The corner doesn’t beat the near post.
21 min “Is there another manager who has made such a strong impression, not just with potential but with actual performance and hopefully trophies when the season ends, like Arne Slot?” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “Many (including self) expected him to be in awe of filling Klopp’s shoes and faltering. But he has been quietly lethal.”
It’s one of the all-time great debut seasons – not just what he’s achieved but the lightness of touch with which he has done it. As a neutral, I love him. The season isn’t over so we need to reserve a bit of judgement, but there are very few examples of somebody replacing an iconic manager so seamlessly. Joe Fagan is one but he had the huge advantage of being an insider.
18 min Nothing comes of the corner and Liverpool pick up where they left off.
17 min Richarlison breaks forward with no support and is fouled from behind by Gravenberch. Spurs need moments like that, if nothing else to give their defence a breather.
The free-kick is too far out for a shot. Son flips it in and it deflects behind for Spurs’ first corner.
16 min “I’ll see Niall Mullen and raise him: I couldn’t give a feck about the League Cup,” says Tim Woods, who didn’t actually say ‘feck’. “I want Liverpool to win the title. And at this point, I’ll cry a little bit if we don’t.”
15 min Davies’s treatment is complete but he has to go off for 30 seconds, which allows him to change his shirt. Bentancur drops into the defence while he’s away.
14 min The corner is headed up in the air, spilled badly by Kinsky and booted clear by Danso. That slithered through his hands like a bar of soap.
Kinsky caught Ben Davies while jumping for the ball. Davies had a small cut down his forehead and will need treatment.
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12 min So far so good for the new signing Kevin Danso. His centre-back partner Ben Davies has been the busier; as I type he comes across to challenge Bradley and concede a corner.
10 min Davies makes an important interception on the edge of the area after Gray loses the ball in a dangerous area. Liverpool are on top.
9 min Nunez needs a bit of treatment after being caught by the knee of Richarlison. I think he’ll be able to run it off.
7 min Szoboszlai goes down in the area after a challenge from behind from Son. It looked like a lean rather than a shove and there’s no suggestion VAR will get involved. Liverpool look sharp, though, particularly in wide areas.
6 min Gakpo is fouled on the left wing by Kulusevski roughly 40 yards from goal. Spurs won’t mind a stop-start, er, start to the game.
Liverpool take the free-kick short and work it across the field. Eventually Salah’s deflected shot is comfortably saved to his left by Kinsky.
4 min Richarlison eventually gets to his feet and deliberately bumps into Van Dijk. The referee calls the two players over and reminds them of their age.
3 min Richarlison goes down holding his face after a tussle with Van Dijk. In fairness Van Dijk did wave his elbow in Richarlison’s neck/chin. So while Richarlison probably made it a meal of it by rolling over multiple times, he had every reason to go down.
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2 min “I know that all neutrals love Liverpool and will be desperate for us to go through,” says Niall Mullen. “But as an entitled fan of the Reds, I still feel we are owed a non-Covid league title and I have already seen great, good, and mediocre Liverpool teams win this competition. So, I was trying to figure out the best way to go out tonight. Perhaps a comprehensive 1-0 win with a hugely superior xG and then we lose on penalties? Also wouldn’t a Spurs-Newcastle final be something? Two starving coyotes going at it over a juicy looking piece of roadkill.”
Ouch. That last sentence is the most savage twist since Psycho.
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1 min Spurs kick off from left to right as we watch.
“Hi Rob!” says Joe Pearson before getting down to brass tacks. “I love you, man, but you keep putting Alisson in the team when you already told us that Kelleher was replacing him.”
Ach! Force of habit. I can confirm Kelleher is in net.
“Kudos to Spurs for signing Kevin Danso,” says Peter Oh. “Apparently they gazumped Wolverhampton for his services. Personally, I wish he had opted for Molineux, because Danso’s With Wolves would have been box-"office gold.”
A reminder of the teams
Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
Substitutes: Jaros, Endo, Diaz, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Quansah.
Spurs (4-3-3) Kinsky; Gray, Danso, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.
Substitutes: Austin, Porro, Reguilon, Bergvall, Ajayi, Cassanova, Olusesi, Moore, Tel.
Referee Craig Pawson.
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“Tell Phil Moseley that from my point of view, 30 miles or so from him in Durham, North Carolina, the more likely outcome here is a heroic, dramatic Spurs win tonight, followed by an abject, tail-between-legs disappointment at Wembley,” says Gregory Phillips.
“Is there a case to be made that the League Cup is more enjoyable competition than the FA Cup?” asks Michal Pac Pomarnacki. “It’s over and done with pretty much halfway through the season and unlike the FA Cup it does not take up any full weekends. Most of the games are played in the evenings/late afternoon adding to the spectacle. Maybe it’s me being a Liverpool fan, but I’ve always preferred the League Cup to the more revered FA Cup.”
As a child of the eighties I’ll always have a fondness for … actually both competitions were great in the eighties so scratch that. I guess the FA Cup will always be more prestigious but I see your point about the League Cup being more enjoyable.
“Come along Mr Mosley, don’t be too fatalistic,” says Dean Kinsella. “The whole thing with being Spursy is that one day they perform much worse than they should and the next they are marvelous (eg the City thrashing in November). Tonight could well be one of those marvellous nights. Why not?”
A pessimist is never disappointed (part 2)
“Ah, Rob, you had to go and mention the Q-word!” says Matt Dony. “I’m still expecting a sticky patch in the league, and for Arsenal to sneak through. What Slot has done, with essentially last year’s team, is astonishing. Winning just one trophy in his first season would be an achievement. Four trophies is surely too much to hope for, even in the craziest late-night, Stinking-Bishop-and-red-wine-induced reveries.
“Fighting on four fronts is ridiculous. And it has the added complication (which I’m surprised isn’t stressed more) of swapping between four different match balls. We all laugh when a manager gets in a strop over a particular ball, but the fact is they are all different and behave differently. At the pointy end of the season, where Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League games come thick and fast, constantly swapping ball must be a genuine challenge.
“Anyway. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, I’ll just worry about tonight. (Heavy emphasis on ‘worry’. Being a football fan really isn’t as much fun as it should be, is it?)”
Funnily enough Roy Keane made exactly the same point about the balls on Stick to Football this week.
The winners will meet Newcastle, who completed a 4-0 aggregate win over Arsenal last night, in the final.
“Good afternoon from Raleigh, North Carolina,” writes Phil Moseley. “Can’t watch the game as I don’t subscribe to Paramount Plus, so relying on you to chart our inevitable pasting by Liverpool, falling at the last or last-but-one hurdle yet again in the Levy Era.”
Team news: Danso starts
Arne Slot makes four changes from Liverpool’s win at Bournemouth. Caoimhin Kelleher, Conor Bradley, Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez come in for Alisson, the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz.
Spurs’ new signing Kevin Danso starts in defence, with Mathys Tel among the substitutes. Ange Postecoglou has left out Pedro Porro, which is a surprise. Pape Sarr replaces Mikey Moore in the only other change from the weekend win at Brentford.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
Substitutes: Jaros, Endo, Diaz, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Quansah.
Spurs (4-3-3) Kinsky; Gray, Danso, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.
Substitutes: Austin, Porro, Reguilon, Bergvall, Ajayi, Cassanova, Olusesi, Moore, Tel.
Referee Craig Pawson.
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Read Jacob Steinberg’s preview
Fresh from overseeing a dogged 2-0 win against Brentford on Sunday, Postecoglou sat down and spoke for 43 minutes before a moment that could define his time in north London. The head coach considered the chance for Spurs “to make a big impact” by going to Anfield and building on their 1-0 win in the first leg. He thought about his captain, Son Heung-min, still being trophyless after nearly 10 years at the club. He seemed energised by sealing deals for the centre-back Kevin Danso and the French forward Mathys Tel at the end of a difficult transfer window.
Rules and regulations
The tie will go to extra time if necessary, then penalties
There’s no away goals rule
VAR is being used
Preamble
Evening. Brian Clough, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and George Graham have one thing in common, and we’re not talking anatomically. The League Cup was the first of many trophies in their glorious eras at Nottm Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal respectively. It was also the starting point for Gerard Houllier at Liverpool, Ron Saunders at Aston Villa and Manuel Pellegrini at City.
The elimination of Arsenal last night means somebody will win their first major trophy in English football at Wembley on Sunday 16 March: Eddie Howe, Arne Slot or Ange Postecoglou. Slot and Postecoglou’s teams meet at Anfield tonight for the right to face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
Spurs lead 1-0 from the first leg a month ago – a month! – but Liverpool are understandable favourites given the performances of both teams this season, and the population of their treatment rooms.
Postecoglou’s mood has been improved by consecutive wins, and clean sheets, not to mention the signings of Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel; Liverpool are romping to the league title and are still in contention for the quadruple that eluded them in 2021-22. Then, as now, the League Cup is the only place to start.
Kick off 8pm.
