Liverpool reach Carabao Cup final: Arne Slot says ‘only special if you win’

Liverpool manager Arne Slot was delighted to book his first place in an English final – but warned “it’s only special if you can win things”.

The Reds demolished Tottenham 4-0 in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg to turn around a 1-0 first-leg deficit.

Liverpool, who won the cup last season under Jurgen Klopp, will face Newcastle in the Wembley final on Sunday, 16 March.

This is 46-year-old Dutchman Slot’s first season in English football, having moved from Feyenoord in the summer, and the first time he will have been to Wembley.

Citing the 1992 European Cup final, where Barcelona beat Sampdoria 1-0 at Wembley, he told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We all know as Dutch people how important Wembley was for Ronald Koeman and Barcelona and Johan Cruyff.

“It is special to go there as I know how iconic that stadium is.”

But he added: “It’s only special if you can win things. We know how difficult that’s going to be as Newcastle are an impressive team.”

Slot won the Dutch Cup with Feyenoord last season, beating NEC 1-0 in the final.

“It’s always nice to play a final,” he said.

“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.”

And he added that it was probably his best night as Liverpool manager so far – in an impressive campaign to date in which he has won 29 of his 37 games in charge and only lost three.

“I think we had some big nights here already but to reach a final should also be special, and that is what it is,” he said.

“So in that perspective it has been the most special evening.”