LIVERPOOL

 

will play Newcastle in the English League Cup final after routing Tottenham 4-0 on Thursday. A rampant performance overturned Spurs’ 1-0 lead from the first leg of the semi-final and sealed a 4-1 aggregate victory that keeps Arne Slot’s team in contention for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies in his first season in charge. “We are in one final, but we have a lot to play for still,” said Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, who opened the scoring in the first half at Anfield. “We have to stay calm and focus to reach as much as possible.” Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk all struck after the break in a one-sided semi-final second leg. Liverpool will play Newcastle in the final at Wembley Stadium on March 16 for the chance to retain the trophy they won last year. It could be just the first title in what is shaping up to be a special debut season for Slot after succeeding Jurgen Klopp last year. His team is top of the Premier League, into the round of 16 in the

 

Champions League and also in the FA Cup. Such a humbling defeat for Tottenham, meanwhile, will likely lead to more speculation about the future of manager Ange Postecoglou, with his team languishing 14th in the league and having won just four of their last 13 games in all competitions. For the first time under Postecoglou, Spurs failed to get a shot on target in a game, according to stats provider Opta. The League Cup had felt like a lifeline for the Australian and the chance to lift Spurs’ first trophy since they won the same competition in 2008. “We have given up a good opportunity tonight and we cannot shy away from that,” Postecoglou said. “We were in a good position to get to the final. “Nobody needs to pick me up, I just need to pick up the players.”