In many ways, it was fitting that Virgil van Dijk confirmed Liverpool's place in a second successive Carabao Cup final via the same route the previous one was won. Having headed home his third of the campaign late on, from Alexis Mac Allister's corner, the Reds captain might have instantly had his memory jogged to scenes at Wembley 12 months ago as he celebrated.

It was Van Dijk's header, from a Kostas Tsimikas corner, that won Liverpool's 10th League Cup crown on the day against Chelsea at Wembley last year and it was the first piece of silverware the Dutchman lifted as club captain having replaced Jordan Henderson the previous summer.

Van Dijk had spoken of his pride in the build-up to last year's showpiece at being able to lead out the players for the big day and he will now do so once more when he steps out for Arne Slot's first final as Reds boss when they clash with Newcastle on March 16.

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After such a dominant second-leg display, it was the perfect way to cap a fine night's work for Van Dijk, who was once more imperious at the back to help limit the threat of a visiting side who actually came into the tie with a 1-0 lead from the first leg last month.

Pantomime villain Richarlison got no change from the Reds centre-back before he was forced off with an injury and his replacement, Mathys Tel, is unlikely to face a more daunting assignment himself between now and the end of his loan spell from Bayern Munich. In this sort of form, it's easy to see why those who still champion Van Dijk as the world's pre-eminent centre-back might just be onto something.

“It means a lot," Van Dijk says of a second Carabao Cup final in 13 months. "We don't take any of this for granted. Winning is always a great feeling, it's a nice feeling, but you should not take any of that for granted. I'm definitely not doing that.

"With the games coming so thick and fast it's quite easy just to forget it and move on. But tonight we should definitely be happy and celebrate a little bit and tomorrow we focus on Plymouth and that's the end of it.

"I think the chance to get the first silverware this season and to be there with our fans against a very good side, with our family and friends as well being there, it's a great occasion and I'm really looking forward to leading out the boys.

"But like I said, that game is March 16 so I think there are going to be how many games and before that, six or something? We have to be happy today, we will be, but tomorrow will be the focus on the next one."

'The next one', of course, is a trip to Plymouth in the FA Cup fourth round and Van Dijk may be one of several big-name players whose services may not be required against the Championship strugglers. With the chance to advance nine points clear at the Premier League's summit when the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park is played against Everton next week, the feeling that the leaders are in the midst of a critically important period persists.

And there are lessons to be learned from this time last year, where Jurgen Klopp's side were in a similar position only to fall away late on as injury bit and form slumped.

Van Dijk says: “I think everyone everyone has had more experience from last year so the end of last season was unfortunately a little bit disappointed, so when there's disappointment you have to turn it into experience that you can take into the next season and if you don't do that, then obviously you don't progress.

"But what I'm seeing now is that players are doing the right things in order to overcome what happened last year. There's no guarantees, of course, but that's the basic and let's see what it brings. We also have to just enjoy the ride and focus on ourselves.

"You know, that's the only thing we have influence on. Don't listen to others. Don't get dragged into other conversations, in my opinion. Just focus on what we have to do and the strides we need to get ahead of us.

“You do all the things you have to do: you are committed obviously to your craft, you have to make sure you do the right things in terms of recovery, nutrition and obviously and training to pick up all the right stuff in order to prepare for what's ahead of us.

"We trained the last couple of days a lot on tactics and on the side of that, you have to make sure you're ready to be intense, to run so physically you have to do everything in your power to be ready.

"It's a lot of responsibility but it's part of our lives, our jobs. If you want to be successful you have to just do certain things in order to beat opponents and that's what we did for this game. And tomorrow we focus on Plymouth."