The reigning champions of the Carabao Cup, Liverpool will take their defence to Wembley after defeating Ange Postecoglou’s men at Anfield.
Tottenham Hotspur had a 1-0 lead from the first leg, but the competition holders have won 4-1 on aggregate after a comfortable 4-0 win on the night.
Cody Gakpo opened the scoring with a sweet volley first-half volley and the floodgates opened in the second half. Mohamed Salah doubled the lead from the penalty spot before a smart finish from Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgl van Dijk’s header completed the rout.
Liverpool will face Newcastle United — who beat Arsenal 4-0 over two legs — at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 16.
Liverpool: Slot looking forward to first Wembley visit
A first visit to Wembley Stadium for Arne Slot as a manager and one he is really looking forward to, especially so early in his first season.
“In Holland, we only have one cup competition and the final is played at the end of the season. So it’s a new experience, but it’s a nice one,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s a special stadium for English people but also for Dutch people. We know the history of that stadium.
“I’m very pleased to go there but we know we are going to face a very, very tough opponent. I saw them yesterday and I’ve seen them this season. They’re a very good team but they’re going to face a very good team.”
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Arne Slot, who is having a magnificent debut season at Liverpool, had a wide grin on his face as he spoke to Sky Sports — he was asked if tonight was his most special night in the job so far.
“Because it results in a final? Maybe,” he said. “But we’ve had some big nights here already with (Bayer) Leverkusen, with (Manchester) City, with (Real) Madrid and I’m probably forgetting a few.
“But to reach a final should always be special and that’s what it is.”
Postecoglou: We had a great opportunity and didn’t grab it
Ange Postecoglou was then asked if he felt lonely in his technical area this evening.
“It’s not an emotion I feel,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m disappointed we weren’t able to give a better account of ourselves today and give ourselves a chance to get to a final.
“(The players are) very disappointed. We had a great opportunity and, unfortunately, we didn’t grab it.”
Asked about the rest of the season, Postecoglou said: “There’s still plenty to play for this year for us. We’ve got a big (FA Cup) game at (Aston) Villa on Sunday and that’s where our focus goes.”
Ange Postecoglou looked very deflated when he spoke to Sky Sports at full time.
“Ultimately, Liverpool fully deserved the victory tonight,” he said.
“They were far the better team, we just weren’t able to get a grip in any part of the game defensively or with the ball. (They were) too good for us. We allowed them to get into the game, we weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be.
“We didn’t start the game on the right foot and allowed them to get comfortable. Once they got comfortable, it was very difficult for us to wrestle that control back.”
