EFL Cup semi-final: What we learned from Liverpool 4-0 Spurs

Football writer Ninad Barbadikar analyses Thursday night's EFL Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield.

Liverpool 4-0 Spurs (Liverpool win 4-1 on agg.)

A dominant Liverpool display ensured a 4-0 victory over Spurs at Anfield and sealed their passage to Wembley, where they will meet Newcastle United on Sunday 16 March in the EFL Cup final.

It will be Arne Slot’s first opportunity to claim silverware as Liverpool head coach, having lost only three competitive ties in what has been an incredible debut campaign in English football.

For Ange Postecoglou, after an encouraging win at Brentford in the Premier League, this defeat provides yet another difficult low.

Scoring their 519th, 520th and 521th EFL Cup goals on the evening, Liverpool also became the all-time top scorers in the competition.

Ending their league phase of the UEFA Champions League top of the standings, sitting top of the Premier League and now heading to Wembley, with plenty of action still to play in the FA Cup, perhaps Slot can start dreaming of his own quadruple.

"We are on the right track. We have to take it game by game, step by step," said goalscorer Cody Gakpo, talking about Liverpool’s chances of winning silverware.

Gakpo equalled his tally of 16 goals in all competitions last season when he opened the scoring from a magical Mohamed Salah assist.

The Egyptian would double the Reds’ lead emphatically from the spot, before further goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and the scorer of the winner in last year’s final, Virgil van Dijk, put the icing on the cake of a superb Liverpool comeback in the second leg.

Liverpool captain Van Dijk scored his 26th goal in Liverpool colours, more than any other Premier League defender since he made his Liverpool debut in January 2018.

The Reds’ dominance showed in the Expected Goals (xG) figures after the match, with their total of 26 shots accumulating to an incredible xG of 3.82, as opposed to 0.18 for Spurs.

Record-breaker Gakpo

The Dutchman’s goal was his fifth in the EFL Cup this season, maintaining his status as top scorer in the competition. It was also his seventh goal in as many appearances at Anfield, joining a list of some illustrious names to have done the same or better for the Reds.

Gakpo's goal v Spurs

Salah’s assist for the former PSV player was his first in the competition for nearly a decade, last assisting Didier Drogba for Chelsea against Shrewsbury Town in 2014.

Gakpo also managed to create four chances, equating to an Expected Assists (xA) total of 0.47 in a superb all-round display.

Inevitable Salah

Salah showcased his evergreen brilliance in front of the Anfield faithful once again. Busy creating chances for others and himself on the night, he collected a goal and assist.

This match marked his 50th such game for the Reds in all competitions where he has both scored and assisted, with the next player to achieve the same feat being former club captain Steven Gerrard, who did so on 27 occasions.

Salah's penalty v Spurs

Coming off to huge applause from the Anfield crowd later in the game, Salah ended his night with five shots, two chances created and three successful dribbles, marking another accomplished display.

Relentless Bradley

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s absence was barely felt in Liverpool’s victory, with youngster Conor Bradley putting in another stellar shift at full-back.

The Northern Ireland international led the way for duels won, with eight on the night, and accumulated more touches than any other player on the pitch, with 89.

Constantly drifting into spaces behind Spurs lines, he always made himself available on the Liverpool right and was a nuisance to deal with.

Second season trophy still on for Ange?

Postecoglou admitted earlier this season that his teams “usually win a trophy” in his second season. That has been true with his previous clubs, but it doesn’t look straightforward this time around.

Aston Villa await Spurs in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday and there’s still a long way to go in the UEFA Europa League, with the north London side through to the last 16.

Nevertheless, the Spurs head coach can take some encouragement from the displays of debutants Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel, the latter replacing the injured Richarlison at the end of the first half.

Danso was impressive with his distribution from the back, meanwhile Tel, signed on loan from Bayern Munich on Deadline Day, showed promise on the ball and an ability to combine well with his Spurs team-mates.

Looking forward

Liverpool’s victory here means that their Premier League match at Unai Emery’s Villa will now move to 19:30 GMT on Wednesday 19 February, making it six league matches in February.

Following that game will be further tough tests for Slot’s Reds as they face Manchester City and Newcastle in the space of three days.

As for Spurs, their league fixture against Fulham will remain on Sunday 16 March. They will have little time to reflect on this defeat as they prepare to face Villa at the weekend in what may yet become Postecoglou’s biggest week as Spurs boss.

EFL Cup final

16 Mar Newcastle v Liverpool (KO time TBC)