Carabao Cup: Liverpool and Spurs fight for final ticket

Newcastle knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup, while Spurs face Liverpool in a crucial 2nd leg clash to decide who meets the Magpies in the fina

Liverpool's season can get even better with the visit of Tottenham to Anfield for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi finals. Will Liverpool overturn the 1-0 deficit? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

After Newcastle’s clinical win over the Gunners on Wednesday at St. James’s Park, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the Gunners need a break to refresh the squad.

The Magpies went into the game with a healthy 2-0 first-leg win; however, any good side should be able to overturn a 2-goal lead, and with how Arsenal played at the weekend against Manchester City, you would expect magic from Arteta’s boys; that didn’t happen.

Jacob Murphy fired the hosts in front after Alexander Isak had struck the woodwork and no Arsenal defender was in sight to clear the rebound. Anthony Gordon made it two early in the second half, and more worrying, the Gunners lost Gabriel Martinelli to what looked like a hamstring problem in the first half.

"We need to swallow this one; it is a tough one," Arteta said. "We had a lot of expectations. We knew the difficulty of the task because of the result we brought from London. But there is nothing we can do right now.

"What we could do was on the pitch a few minutes ago; now we have to look forward. First of all, I think this is going to be a painful one. While we are in Dubai, recharge and go again because we still have a lot to play [for]."

On the injury to Martinelli, Arteta looked unsure and will have to wait till later on Thursday to be able to tell. "He felt something; I think it was his hamstring, and he wasn't comfortable to continue, so we'll have to do an MRI scan tomorrow to see the extent of the injury."

Away from Arsenal’s gloom, Tottenham has a chance to salvage what is left of their season as they travel to Anfield for the second leg of their Carabao Cup clash. The winner of this encounter will face Newcastle in the final at Wembley.

The Kops have a one-goal deficit to overturn; this makes the fixture an interesting one, and maybe Ange Postecoglou indeed wins something in his second season, as he has always said. In the midst of the injury crisis at Tottenham, the North Londoners must find a way to avoid defeat.

Liverpool remains the favourite in this one, but they cannot be complacent. They have only lost three games across all competitions this season; one of those was the first leg at the Tottenham Stadium, one many thought they would ace.