Liverpool

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Thursday's 4-0 Carabao Cup semi-final second leg win over Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Marilyn: What an absolute pleasure to watch this team of ours! All playing for each other, all backing each other up. Patient, professional, lethal! Well done, Arne - what a season you are giving us Reds fans.

Chris: I was a bit nervous before kick-off - but after 15 minutes it was clear there was only going to be one winner. Liverpool totally dominated Spurs in every aspect. I should think their fans are bitterly disappointed with the lack any fight.

SP: There was only going to be one winner - from the first whistle Liverpool were on top of Spurs. They couldn't cope with the midfield trio and front three of Reds. It's gone slightly under the radar, but what if Liverpool win the quadruple in Slot's first season? Surely not...

Steven: I don't think any team could have of handled us. Just awesome.

Paul: Liverpool were an absolute joy to watch. I haven't seen them work as hard as that. They were running maniacs chasing the ball. Tottenham tried their best but were just overwhelmed by the continuous Liverpool onslaught. A well-deserved win - bring on Newcastle in the final.

Geoff: There wasn't a poor performance from a Liverpool player. Making the man of the match choice must have been the hardest of decisions. Bradley showed why we don't need to fret over Trent's contract situation, and the players we were able to bring on from the bench shows our squad strength yet again. Nothing is won yet, but the boys are giving us supporters one heck of a ride this season.

Kenny: The way Liverpool played against Spurs was only just below the way they played against Barcelona in the famous 4-0 win. They were strong, the passing was sublime, the movement sublime, and every player gave 100%. That game is what I want to see every week.

George: Outstanding performance - probably one of the best of the season. We hounded Spurs all over the field and didn't give an inch. The midfield were exceptional in breaking down attacks and creating and linking up with the forward line. Every Liverpool player was exceptional - not many teams could cope with that level of press and pressure. If it had been a boxing match, it would have been stopped early! A definite force to be reckoned with.

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool are flying under head coach Arne Slot and triumph in the Carabao Cup would present the Dutch manager with a first piece of silverware at Anfield.

His side are also sitting six points clear at the top of the Premier League, still in the FA Cup and through to the Champions League last 16. So, 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.

Liverpool arrived in the second leg with work to do, having trailed after the first leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but they got it done without ever really getting out of third gear.

Their frontline was a constant threat - with Cody Gakpo's opener coming after Dominik Szoboszlai's slotted effort was chalked off for offside and Mohamed Salah saw his rising effort tipped over the bar after sending one just wide of the post - while Caoimhin Kelleher was untested at the other end.

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.

Liverpool now have the opportunity to make it back-to-back EFL Cups when they face a confident Newcastle side at Wembley next month.

Image source, The Daily Telegraph and The Times

Liverpool fans will be waking up with a smile on their faces this morning because the Reds are Carabao Cup finalists and off to Wembley!

It was another special evening at Anfield as the holders put four goals past Tottenham to make light of the 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their semi-final.

Friday's national back pages echo that Liverpool - who are sitting top of the Premier League, still in the FA Cup and through to the Champions League last 16 - are currently flying under Arne Slot.

But will the Dutchman take the opportunity to win his first piece of silverware at the club?

We will have to wait until Sunday, 16 March to see...

Image source, The Daily Star and Daily Express

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk, speaking to Sky Sports: "We needed a complete performance. At half-time I think we could get a level up with intensity.

"But to win here like we did tonight is great for the team and the club. Now we focus on the FA Cup.

"If you bring intensity to the game, anybody can make mistakes - a beautiful win today.

"Nights like this where there's a lot at stake, we didn't take it for granted - we all wanted to go there [Wembley] again with the fans, and it was a great team performance."

On Mohammed Salah's penalty: "No goalkeeper would have saved that. Clinical."

On scoring: "It is always a proud moment to be on the scoresheet. There is a lot of work behind the screen to be more clinical, and it's never easy, but today I could finally score a goal again."

On form and league position: "We are in February now, and we cannot complain about the situation we are in, but we should not take any of that for granted and not be easy on each other.

"I don't see that happening as I will be on top of it.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, speaking to ITV: "It's always nice to play a final.

"We come in every day, we try to improve the team, the players try so hard to improve themselves, but in the end it's about reaching finals and winning things.

"We're happy to have an opportunity, but we also understand we're facing a very, very strong Newcastle team.

"It was a complete and dominant performance from us."

Image source, Getty Images

Against Tottenham, Dominik Szoboszlai had five shots, nine touches in the opposition box, created five chances, won possession nine times and scored one goal.

He is the first Liverpool player to record each of those totals in a match since Philippe Coutinho against Maribor in 2017.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

Were you pleased with Tottenham's display?

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Everton FC

Winter transfer window signing Carlos Alcaraz was spotted in training with Everton for the first time on Wednesday.

The Argentine midfielder joined the Toffees on loan from Flamengo for the remainder of the season, with David Moyes' side holding the "option" of purchasing the player at the end of the campaign.

The 22-year-old appeared in good spirits as he went through his paces with his new team-mates for the first time and could be included in the squad for Saturday's FA Cup fourth round tie against Bournemouth.

Meanwhile, the chilly weather at the Finch Farm training ground saw the return of snoods being worn by some of the Everton players.

Former manager Sean Dyche had banned the winter garment during his tenure, telling the media shortly after taking over: "No, I don't let them wear snoods, hats are not allowed either."

Dyche explained: "The rules of the game state you can't wear either in an actual match. It's just logic."

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

A one-club player is rare these days, so perhaps Liverpool always knew a time might come when Trent Alexander-Arnold moved on.

The 26-year-old has been with the Reds since he was a child, but his Anfield future remains uncertain amid interest from Real Madrid when his current contract runs out this summer.

But the prospect of his somewhat inevitable departure has been softened by the emergence of Conor Bradley in recent years.

The 21-year-old has impressed whenever he has had to deputise - from Alexander-Arnold's spell out through injury last season to an eye-catching Champions League display against Real Madrid in November.

Having been with Liverpool himself since his mid-teens, it could soon be time for Bradley to make the right-back position his own. That could start with Thursday's crucial Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham, with Alexander-Arnold out injured again.

But just how do the two players compare?

Defensively, there are some key areas where Bradley comes out on top.

The 21-year-old wins almost twice as many duels as Alexander-Arnold per game (6.6 to 3.6) and averages more tackles (3.1 to 2.1).

But England international Alexander-Arnold is rightly regarded as one of the best attacking full-backs in the world, and it is here where he excels in a statistical head-to-head with Bradley.

Most noticeably, Alexander-Arnold plays more passes into the box and creates more chances on average, with 2.5 per 90 minutes compared to 1.3 for Bradley.

There is no doubt the loss of Alexander-Arnold, should he depart, would be a huge blow for Liverpool.

But Bradley has shown he is more than capable of stepping up and Reds fans will no doubt be confident he will do so again, should their iconic hometown hero move on.

Image source, PA Media

Former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton, speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside about the Premier League title race and the Reds' chances of winning trophies this season: "I hear it quite a lot from people - they say that 'the league is Liverpool's to lose' and it's not.

"I've been in situations when we've been chasers and I've been there when we've won the league and been comfortable. You always feel that until you get over the line, anything can happen.

"I'm sure Arne Slot and his Liverpool players are exactly the same at the moment. They'll be of the understanding that, so far, everything has gone really well.

"Everything's in a good position [in four competitions] - but only in a good position. You've still got to get over the line.

"There are still going to be twists and turns along the way and it's how you come over adversity, because there might be games you lose and it's how you react after that. That's when you'll really tell about this group of players and how far they can go this season.

"All they've done is they've got themselves into a good position, you've still got to see it through and that's the important part."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts on former Liverpool midfielder John Barnes' belief that Virgil van Dijk's contract should be the first priority for the club.

Here are some of your comments:

Mike: I agree with Barnes. Van Dijk made a huge difference when he arrived and he continues to set an example for the other defenders and young players in terms of his ability, attitude and game awareness. Salah will lose pace and strength, so I think a two-year extension would be more sensible for the club. Trent wants to try his luck in Spain and the club should have tied him down before now if they wanted to cash in. It seems unfair that Liverpool will get nothing after the years of development, but they know how it all works.

Andrew: John is right! We will struggle to replace Van Dijk and Salah might not be as he is now, forever.

Mohammed: They should be focusing on giving Trent a new contract. He is young and in his prime. This could be the last year of Salah and Van Dijk's prime, so instead of going for the older ones we need to go for the young one. Also, how do you know that Salah and Van Dijk are going to perform like this season, next season?

Martin: I agree with Barnesy. Salah is a genius but I'm already seeing signs that he can't beat players anywhere near as often as he used to, but not for want of trying. With Alexander-Arnold, unless Slot moves him into midfield, he is always going to be my third choice because his defending is just not quite where it needs to be for a club like Liverpool. Virgil is irreplaceable - the best centre-back on the planet.

Jay: I would say Van Dijk is the most important to us right now, seeing as we haven't got recognised elite cover. Salah scores a lot but, if he wasn't in the team, Gakpo, Elliott, Diaz and Nunez would step up. Trent, bon voyage lad. Bradley is a better defender by an absolute mile and Gomez is better too, so I wouldn't miss him.

Image source, Getty Images

Despite clearing the latest round of PSR checks, Everton still had a quiet January transfer window, so BBC Radio Merseyside asked football finance expert Kieran Maguire if that was because the Blues were still under spending restrictions.

"In football you want to be able to spend an unlimited amount of money, just as you do when we go into shops, but clubs have budgets as well," Maguire said.

"PSR is certainly a factor because Everton scraped it in 2023-24 with a couple of late sales of players. That means the club want to be cautious, so in the January window they didn't want to spend a moderate amount of money and then be in the same position as last season where a sale had to be made."

Despite the current challenges, Maguire was more upbeat when considering the impact of moving to the new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.

"The 2025-26 season will be a huge season for the club," he said. "There is potentially a new set of rules coming in season as well and that will link a club's spending to their ability to generate revenue.

"Bramley-Moore Dock should increase the matchday revenue by 100-150% because at the moment Everton are making less than one million pounds a match at Goodison Park.

"That will be a positive and it also looks like the new rules will be assessed in a one-season policy. That means the legacy problems that have arisen at Everton, which are probably best associated with the previous regime, where they have spent a lot of money unwisely and been shackled into overspending should be released.

"There is still work to be done but if they can secure a naming right deal, sell hospitality boxes at the going rate, then there will be more positives for spending."

Listen to Maguire's full interview on BBC Sounds

Liverpool boss Arne Slot says "the most difficult decisions" he has to make is leaving players out entirely on matchdays.

The Dutchman says he "does not understand" why, given the amount of games in England, clubs cannot name squads of 23 rather than 20 for fixtures.