Van Dijk not pleased with Liverpool's rout over Tottenham

Liverpool brushed aside a toothless Tottenham Hotspur side 4-0 to seal their spot in the Carabao Cup final. Still, skipper Virgil Van Dijk said he was disappointed with facets of his team’s performance during the emphatic win. 

Cody Gakpo, Mohammad Salah, Dominic Szoboszlai and Van Dijk found the back of the net as Liverpool battered Ange Postecoglou’s blunt Spurs team at Anfield. 

Liverpool was in firm control right from the first minute, and such was their dominance that Spurs failed to have a shot on target in the match. However, the Liverpool captain was key to their first-half display. 

"We needed a complete performance. I still think at half-time we could get a level up in terms of the intensity and put them even more under pressure and that's what I've said [to the team] as well," Van Dijk told Sky Sports.

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

When asked to elaborate on his comments, Van Dijk said: “You wanted to start obviously with loads of intensity and I think the game got interrupted a couple of times in the first half. It ruins a little bit of momentum that was there.

"We still did it now and then but I felt like we could do a little bit more and make it even more uncomfortable for them because obviously we know they have the quality to play out. They want to play through the middle and they have these patterns and stuff and if you bring intensity to the game then anybody can make mistakes. I think in the second half we did that and it was a beautiful win today."

The 4-0 victory keeps Liverpool’s prospects of securing all four major trophies alive, with Arne Slot’s side holding a six-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, awaiting a round of 16 tie in the Champions League and will be facing Championship side Plymouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.