Celtic beat Rangers in League Cup final: Talking points from Hampden Park as Brendan Rodgers' side win Old Firm clash
The League Cup final ended 3-3 after extra-time before Celtic beat Rangers 5-4 on penalties at Hampden Park; Celtic seal first domestic trophy of the season; Brendan Rodgers' side are nine points clear in the Scottish Premiership and start their Scottish Cup defence against Kilmarnock
Monday 16 December 2024 15:52, UK
The first trophy of the season belongs to Celtic after a classic Old Firm League Cup final, but what did we learn from the dramatic encounter?
There was tension, drama, goals and controversy at Hampden Park on Sunday, with Hoops defender Liam Scales summing up the afternoon perfectly - "brilliant and mad."
After sharing six goals in 90 minutes, and still nothing to split the sides following extra-time - it took penalties to separate the teams and produce the familiar outcome of a Celtic victory against their Old Firm rivals.
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As Celtic look to build on their latest trophy triumph, and Rangers aim to bounce back from a cruel defeat - here is a look at what we learned from a match that will go down in the history books...
Can treble-chasing Celtic be stopped?
Based on the season so far it is difficult to argue against Celtic clinching another domestic treble.
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When they are playing at their peak they sweep teams aside, when they are below their best they still manage to grind out a result.
Brendan Rodgers' only defeat this season came away to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, while their only blip domestically is a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen.
Cameron Carter-Vickers says the focus is now "on the league campaign and the Scottish Cup". The Hoops have a nine-point lead in that Premiership title race, and the first opponent in their Scottish Cup defence is Kilmarnock - a team they've put six past over the last two league meetings this season without reply.
The League Cup was the only trophy Celtic failed to win last season. Before Christmas, it is in the Celtic Park trophy cabinet. Defender Liam Scales said it was "massive" for his side to win it, adding "it sets us up nicely". Few can argue against that.
Rodgers' side take trophy bragging rights
Celtic have reclaimed the title as Scotland's most successful club for the first time in almost 87 years.
Their Hampden Park victory means the Hoops have 119 major trophies, one ahead of their rivals on 118.
The last time Celtic had more trophies than Rangers was when they clinched the league on April 23, 1938 with a win against St Mirren at the old Love Street in Paisley.
Rangers restored parity by winning the title the next year and then moved ahead of the Hoops over the coming years. That was until Celtic tied the table last season with their Scottish Cup win and went ahead on Sunday.
With Rodgers' side leading the title race, you would expect them to add to their tally and enjoy the bragging rights for a bit longer.
Is gap between Old Firm closing?
Much has been made of Gers boss Philippe Clement's claims that Celtic are "financially out of our league".
Successful player-trading and Champions League qualification saw the Hoops post £17.8m pre-tax profits last season, while Rangers made a net loss of £17.2m over the same period. Celtic also boast £77m in the bank.
That has seen Rodgers win 10 out of the 11 trophies he has contested over two spells in Scotland. Looking at the bigger picture, the gap is still evident.
However, on one-off meetings against their rivals - Rangers fans believe there is reason to believe again.
It is a fixture they have won just once over the last 14 meetings - a 3-0 victory at Ibrox after Celtic had already won the title - but last season's Scottish Cup final and Sunday's League Cup final saw the Gers go toe-to-toe with their rivals, albeit narrowly lose both times.
The feeling within the Ibrox dressing room is the most recent loss was undeserved and vice-captain Jack Butland insists their horrid run over their rivals will end soon.
"There is a lot we can take from that and that's why it hurts so much," he said after Sunday's loss. "Today is going to hurt for a long time.
"That performance showed we have the quality to compete and to beat them. For us it feels like a matter of time."
Captain James Tavernier highlighted their improvement from September's 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park in the Premiership. When January 2 comes around, as Celtic head to Ibrox, the time for talking will stop. The Rangers players must prove they are right to believe the gap on the pitch has closed.
How can Rangers save their season?
Clement said after the defeat that Rangers are "getting better and better" and it "can't stop the hunger and desire that's in the squad to become better and better."
He also stressed it was not time to "talk about titles" given how many points they are behind Celtic as he vowed to take it one game at a time as they try to narrow the gap.
A win against Celtic on January 2, live on Sky Sports, would give the fans something to cheer about after two years of heartache against their fierce rivals.
Rangers have had a good Europa League campaign so far but, ultimately, it is trophies that matter.
Delivering the Scottish Cup would end the season on a high as they look to build another title challenge.
What does defeat mean for Clement?
It is six games against Celtic without a win for the Rangers boss, but the manner of this one has resulted in optimism rather than criticism.
There has been more fight in recent weeks and the fact they pulled themselves back from defeat twice before losing on penalties has given the fans some encouragement.
Just over a month ago many thought defeat in the League Cup final could end the Belgian's tenure at Ibrox.
However, he promised his rebuild would show signs of fruition in October or November. We're a few weeks out but convincing league wins, an impressive draw against Spurs and defeat on penalties to Celtic have given those around the club reason to believe again.
There is no getting away from the fact he must deliver another run of impressive results, find a way to beat Celtic and operate shrewdly in the January transfer window. With a new CEO and chairman now in position at Rangers - it is time for all to take stock and figure out what must change if they are to deliver success and silverware.
