Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur (EFL Cup 2024-25)

Liverpool v Tottenham (2024–25)

Liverpool Tottenham 4 0
HT:1–0 Report
Event	2024–25 EFL Cup
Date	Thursday 6 February 2025
Venue	Anfield, Liverpool
Player of the Match	Cody Gakpo
Referee	Craig Pawson
Attendance	60,395
Weather	2 °C (35 °F)
← Liverpool - B'mouth Spurs - Brentford Liverpool - Plymouth Spurs - Aston Villa →

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur was a match which took place at the Anfield on Thursday 6 February 2025.

Preview

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Thursday.

Alexander-Arnold was substituted after 70 minutes in the Premier League win at Bournemouth on Saturday with what appeared to be a thigh injury.

The Reds, who won the League Cup last season in Jurgen Klopp's final term in charge, will be aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Spurs when they host the second leg at Anfield.

"He [Alexander-Arnold] is going to miss the [Tottenham] game," said Slot, whose side play Plymouth in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday before an away game at Everton in the league on Wednesday.

"We have to see whether he is able to play on Sunday but what we do know is that he is not available for tomorrow.

"He left the pitch with a bit of pain in his leg but he's already on the [training] pitch, not with the team but with the rehab coach, so let's see how long it is going to take."

Conor Bradley, who replaced Alexander-Arnold against Bournemouth, started the first leg at Tottenham on 8 January and looks set to do the same for the return tie, although defender Joe Gomez is also an option following his return from a hamstring injury.

Liverpool, who are top of the Premier League and have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, did not make any signings during the January transfer window.

"I've said it many times, we have a very good squad and, if you look at the league table, the players have shown that the trust we have in them was correct," added Slot.

"And, apart from Trent now for a few days, we didn't have many long-term injuries in the moments when the window was open."

Match Report

Holders Liverpool booked their place in the final of the Carabao Cup against Newcastle as they thrashed Tottenham. With a 1-0 deficit to overturn from the first leg of their semi-final, the Reds got the job done at a lively Anfield against a Spurs side who looked devoid of ideas.

Liverpool were on top from the start and went ahead on 34 minutes when Yves Bissouma gave the ball away in midfield and Mohamed Salah played a clever cross for Darwin Nunez, who missed his effort before Cody Gakpo drilled in.

The visitors, who had held hope of ending a 17-year trophy drought after what has been a miserable Premier League campaign, struggled to get going and barely threatened the 10-time winners of this competition.

Salah fired in from the spot just five minutes into the second half after Nunez was wiped out by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. The home supporters saw that as their cue to begin the Wembley chants as Tottenham looked sapped of energy.

Dominik Szoboszlai stamped out any chances of an already unlikely comeback when he slotted home from Conor Bradley's cross before a textbook Virgil van Dijk header from a corner ensured Liverpool will defend their crown at Wembley on Sunday, 16 March.

Liverpool are flying under head coach Arne Slot and triumph in the EFL Cup would present the Dutch manager with a first piece of silverware at Anfield - with his side also sitting six points clear at the top of the Premier League, still in the FA Cup and cruising through to the Champions League last 16.

And while this would be seen as the least important of those four trophies, it could mark the beginning of a spectacular season for the Reds.

It was Liverpool who arrived in the second leg with work to do, having trailed after the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. But they got it done comfortably.

Tottenham stuttered their way through the first 45 minutes and it felt like a matter of when, not if, Liverpool would score to level the tie on aggregate.

Gakpo's opener came after Szoboszlai had his slotted effort chalked off for offside, with Liverpool's front line a constant threat - Salah seeing his rising effort tipped over the bar after sending one just wide of the post - while Caoimhin Kelleher was untested at the other end.

The second half started much the same and once Salah had dispatched his penalty to give Liverpool the lead for the first time in the tie, the home supporters were already chanting about their trip to Wembley.

Goals for Szoboszlai and Van Dijk were just reward for a dominant performance and Liverpool have the opportunity to make it back-to-back EFL Cups when they face a confident Newcastle side at Wembley next month.

Tottenham arrived on Merseyside with what was a fine opportunity to end their 17-year trophy drought.

They held a one-goal aggregate lead against Liverpool and pressure on boss Ange Postecoglou looked to have subsided somewhat after wins against Brentford and Elfsborg following a run of only three wins in 10 games.

But the visitors looked edgy from the first whistle. The full throttle, all-out attacking style that has become synonymous with Spurs under Postecoglou was nowhere to be seen.

Spurs spent much of the match sat deep in their own half, having to defend waves of Liverpool attacks with just 35.9% possession of the ball and failure to register a single shot on target in the 90 minutes, the first time that has ever happened under Postecoglou.

They looked lacklustre in what was a poor showing for a semi-final and questions will once again be raised about the club's management, ownership and ambition.

Protests have been directed at the club's owner Daniel Levy in recent weeks but Spurs did bring in reinforcements in the January transfer window and this performance once again brings into sharp focus Postecoglou's future at the club.

To further rub salt in the wound, Postecoglou could find himself with more injury problems after Richarlison went to ground clutching his calf and immediately smacked the Anfield turf in frustration.

The Brazilian, who was not shown much sympathy from the home supporters as a former Evertonian, was replaced by Spurs' new 19-year-old forward Mathys Tel, making his debut following a deadline day move from Bayern Munich.

It compounds a severe injury crisis for Spurs, who were already missing 10 first-team players.

While Spurs remain in contention in the Europa League, they will undoubtedly see this as an opportunity missed and a disappointing effort.

Match

Details

6 February 2025 20:00 GMT	Liverpool	4–0	Tottenham	Anfield, Liverpool Attendance: 60,395 Referee: Craig Pawson
	Gakpo  34' Salah  51' (pen.) Szoboszlai  75' van Dijk  80'	HT:1–0 Report

Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur

62 Caoimhín Kelleher 84 Conor Bradley 05 Ibrahima Konaté 04 Virgil van Dijk 87' 26 Andrew Robertson 38 Ryan Gravenberch 17 Curtis Jones 72' 11 Mohamed Salah 82' 08 Dominik Szoboszlai 18 Cody Gakpo 82' 09 Darwin Núñez 72' Substitutes: 03 Wataru Endō 07 Luis Díaz 82' 10 Alexis Mac Allister 72' 14 Federico Chiesa 19 Harvey Elliott 82' 20 Diogo Jota 72' 21 Konstantinos Tsimikas 56 Vítězslav Jaroš 76 Jarell Quansah 87' Manager: Arne Slot

31 Antonín Kinský 24 Djed Spence 14 Archie Gray 04 Kevin Danso 33 Ben Davies 82' 08 Yves Bissouma 57' 30 Rodrigo Bentancur 29 Pape Matar Sarr 57' 21 Dejan Kulusevski 07 Son Heung-min 09 Richarlison 45+1' Substitutes: 03 Sergio Reguilón 11 Mathys Tel 45+1' 15 Lucas Bergvall 57' 23 Pedro Porro 57' 40 Brandon Austin 47 Mikey Moore 82' 59 Danté Cassanova 63 Oyindamola Ajayi 64 Callum Olusesi Manager: Ange Postecoglou

Match Stats

Liverpool	Tottenham

Possession ball
64%	36%

Shots
26	5

Shots on target
10	0

Corners
14	4

Fouls
5	8

See also

• 2024–25 EFL Cup
• 1st leg

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk

v