BIG Ange Postecoglou proudly boasts that he ‘always’ wins a trophy in his second season at a club – well his chances are diminishing.

Arne Slot, who makes no such brags, has clear sights on a quadruple after Liverpool swept aside a patched-up Tottenham to reach the Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle on March 16.

Liverpool set up a League Cup final with Newcastle after thrashing Tottenham 4-0Credit: Reuters

It saw Spurs lose their first chance at a trophy this season

The only consolation for Spurs boss Postecoglou is that Slot’s men aren’t competing in the Europa League – a competition in which the north London side have reached the last 16.

Spurs may have held a slim first-leg advantage but this Anfield mission always looked highly improbable.

It turned into a 90-minute exercise in an irresistible force hammering against the flimsiest of objects.

In fact, Tottenham failed to manage a single shot on target – as the pressure will inevitably ramp up again on gaffer Postecoglou.

Cody Gakpo fired Liverpool ahead on the night before Mo Salah’s penalty, early in the second half, earned the Premier League leaders an aggregate advantage they never looked like surrendering.

Dominik Szoboszlai secured the result with a third and Virgil van Dijk headed a fourth as Liverpool headed towards Wembley Way with an imperious strut.

Spurs v Newcastle would have represented a dream final between two major clubs so desperate for silverware.

But instead the holders breezed through to a record 15th League Cup final, where they will be firm favourites to defeat Eddie Howe’s side.

In fairness to Postecoglou, he made that second-season boast before his squad was so severely ravaged by injuries.

He was forced to employ a January signing in goal, a debutant at centre-half and a teenage midfielder at right-back and the idea they were ever going to fend off Slot’s side was always fanciful.

The rout started with a swing of Cody Gakpo’s right footCredit: Reuters

Liverpool’s Dutch star is in fine form

Before half-time, Richarlison suffered an injury, thumping the ground with frustration before he limped off to the jeers of the Anfield crowd – once an Evertonian, always an Evertonian.

Mathys Tel, the deadline loan signing from Bayern Munich, arrived as seven minutes of first-half injury-time was called.

Even that felt like a long slog for Tottenham to survive but they managed to escape to their dressing-room still level on aggregate.

Straight after the restart Kinsky was turning a Salah shot around the post, then pushing out a Szoboszlai header and a Gakpo shot.

With the Kop howling in his ears and the shots raining down, Tottenham’s Czech keeper was never going to last much longer.

Szoboszlai ended any chance Spurs had of thinking they could turn it aroundCredit: AP

Nobody was stopping Van Dijk getting in on the scoring

And when Spurs gifted possession lazily again, Salah angled a pass towards Nunez, who was tripped by an onrushing Kinsky.

Salah stepped up and leathered the spot-kick into the roof of the net. It was his 26th goal of the season in all competitions – bettering last season’s tally by the first week of February.

Postecoglou had a reshuffle, sending on Bergvall and Pedro Porro, Djed Spence to the right wing and Archie Gray to left-back.

Belatedly, Spurs showed some positive intent, without ever forcing a save from Kelleher.