Daniel Sturridge scored both goals as Liverpool overcame Premier League rivals Tottenham 2-1 at Anfield on Tuesday to seal a place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.
Sturridge turned in a loose ball inside the area to break the deadlock in the ninth minute before converting a one-on-one opportunity in the second half to double both his and Liverpool's tally.
His second brace in this season's competition - he also scored twice in a 5-0 victory at Burton Albion in the second round - settled an all-Premier League affair that pitted the League Cup's last two losing finalists.
Vincent Janssen converted a 76th-minute penalty to half the deficit but Tottenham's unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end at eight games.
The England forward reacted quickly to tuck home a rebound after Marko Grujic's shot was partially blocked, the ninth-minute goal punishing Georges-Kevin N'Koudou's untimely slip that had surrendered possession just outside his own penalty area.
Later, Sturridge's curling left-footed effort was tipped over by Michel Vorm, while an attempt with his weaker right was scuffed straight at the Tottenham goalkeeper, wasting excellent build-up play Divock Origi.
At the other end, the visitors' one real chance of note in the first half fell to Janssen, as his left-footed drive from a tight angle forced the recalled Simon Mignolet into a smart low save.
Grujic dragged an effort wide of the target in the 38th minute after he had been put through by Sturridge's pass, while the latter let the visitors off the hook early in the second half when he fluffed his lines from Origi's low cross.
Vorm tipped over Origi's stinging drive from outside the area just prior to the hour mark before Sturridge struck again.
From a throw-in deep inside their own half, Liverpool moved the ball quickly forward and Georginio Wijnaldum's through pass set Sturridge clear of a high defensive line to fire the ball through Vorm.
The woodwork denied Sturridge a hat-trick, as an audacious chip was kept out by the bar with Vorm beaten, but his double proved enough to keep alive Liverpool's hopes of lifting the trophy for a ninth time in their history.
