Liverpool routs Tottenham 4-0 to set up English League Cup final against Newcastle

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 semifinal 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 semifinal second leg.

Liverpool will play Newcastle in the final at Wembley Stadium on March 16 for the chance to retain the trophy it 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 its 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 it 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.”

Tottenham was overwhelmed by a Liverpool team that is sweeping aside all-comers this term.

Gakpo’s first-time finish with his right foot leveled the tie on aggregate in the 34th minute and Liverpool took complete control after the break.

Salah fired a penalty high into the top corner in the 51st after Darwin Nunez was brought down by Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in the box and Szoboszlai ended a slick Liverpool attack with a low finish in the 75th.

Van Dijk headed in Liverpool’s fourth from a corner five minutes later.

The League Cup proved to be Klopp’s final piece of silverware in a trophy-laden reign at Liverpool with victory against Chelsea in last year’s final. Then, as now, the Merseyside club was in contention for a quadruple, but ended up with just one trophy.

Slot’s team looks better placed to win multiple titles — sitting six points clear in the league.

“It's not normal to reach a final, we should always be aware of that,” Slot said.

For Newcastle, the final marks another another chance to end its 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy. Its last trophy was the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 and the most recent domestic title was the FA Cup in 1955.

Despite being bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in 2021, it is still waiting to end that trophy drought. But a 4-0 aggregate victory over Liverpool’s closest title rival Arsenal is evidence of the threat posed by Eddie Howe’s team in the final.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tottenham's head coach Ange Postecoglou, center, and Liverpool's manager Arne Slot greet each other before the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot greets the crowd after winning the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Tottenham's Mathys Tel stands on the pitch during the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts during the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, right, prepares to score the second goal from the penalty spot during the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, left, celebrates with Dominik Szoboszlai after scoring the second goal from the penalty spot during the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)