EFL Cup holders Liverpool will have the chance to defend their title at Wembley after they secured their place in the final with a 4-0 rout of Tottenham.

Injury-ravaged Spurs travelled to Anfield holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, but Ange Postecoglou's team were swept aside by the rampant Reds, who cruised to a 4-1 aggregate victory and will now face Newcastle United in the final on March 16.

Liverpool, who created chances worth 3.8 expected goals (xG), were on the front foot from the off on Thursday, and goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk were no less than a dominant display merited.

Szoboszlai had a goal disallowed for offside shortly before Gakpo steered in a tidy, first-time finish from Salah's outside-of-the-boot cross in the 34th minute - the Egyptian's delivery having found its way through a crowd of players in the area.

The Premier League leaders went ahead in the tie six minutes into the second half, with Salah turning from provider to scorer as he slammed a brilliant penalty into the top-left corner after Darwin Nunez had been felled by Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

Gakpo was denied a second by the woodwork, which came to Spurs' rescue again from a fierce Ryan Gravenberch strike, but Liverpool got their third when Szoboszlai combined with Conor Bradley and slotted home from close range.

Son Heung-min hit the crossbar in a rare foray forward for the beleaguered visitors, who finished with just 0.2 xG and failed to record a single shot on target.

Van Dijk, though, had the final say as he towered above Ben Davies and Kevin Danso to head in from Alexis Mac Allister's corner.

Data Debrief: Stellar Salah leads the way

Salah helped get Liverpool going with his cross into Gakpo. There may have been a hint of good fortune that it made it's way through to the Dutchman, though it was nevertheless a fine piece of skill from the Reds' talisman.

That marked Salah's first EFL Cup assist since October 2014, when he teed up Didier Drogba for Chelsea away at Shrewsbury Town.

Salah has now assisted 10 of Gakpo's Liverpool goals, making the former PSV forward the third player he has 10+ assists for at the club, along with Sadio Mane (17) and Roberto Firmino (14).

His goal, meanwhile, was the eighth spot-kick Salah has scored in all competitions this season, the most by a Liverpool player in a campaign since Steven Gerrard scored 11 in 2013-14.

Arne Slot will now get his shot at a first major trophy in charge of the Reds, who are into a record-extending 15th EFL Cup final.