Celtic win the Premier Sports Cup final

The Scotsman

Mark Atkinson and Graham Falk discuss Celtic’s victory over Rangers in a thrilling Premier Sports Cup final.

Transcript

00:00Yes, so an absolute equal set in the All-Time Derby, one of the best games of the season.

00:07And then Celtic win it in the Premier Sports Cup on penalties, Mark, point of reference?

00:12Yeah, just about, incredible final, a classic cup final here at Hampden.

00:16Celtic, not at their best again, but look, as you can hear in the background, they've got the trophy.

00:22I thought the Rangers played really well, gave everything they possibly could after their game against Spurs on Thursday.

00:28But this Celtic team, they find a way in adversity to get results.

00:32The penalty shoot-out, it was Kasper Schmeichel, the hero, sitting at the back of the field.

00:36Massive win for them, huge depletion for the Rangers.

00:40You wonder how that could define the rest of the season for both these clubs.

00:44We'll get on to the Celtic, of course, but we'll start with the Rangers.

00:47They did play well today, it's a kick of a ball, it's a knock race to see how it goes.

00:51But how damaging can that be for the Rangers?

00:54The Rangers kind of put a run of four together, they were a bit unlucky today.

00:57They've already well behind Celtic, they've lost the only trophy they had.

01:02How damaging can it be?

01:03Well, it can be very damaging, especially morale-wise.

01:06I think what Khabib Clement must do with his staff is make sure that Rangers can build upon what they've shown in the past month.

01:13Last ten minutes we were here at Hampden, they beat Motherwell 2-1.

01:16There was a really, really bad atmosphere around Ibrox after that.

01:19I think they've restored a lot of faith in their fan base.

01:23They've got to now show that they can show that forward to something tough.

01:27The league looks beyond them already, 11 points is tough, but they've just got to show resilience and character.

01:33There is a good team in there, it's about making sure it comes out week on week now.

01:37Looking at Celtic, they weren't at their best in the first half.

01:41You know, they got pressed, they looked susceptible at the back.

01:45They come out in the second half and they're just absolutely blistering.

01:47And then, look, Rangers do really well with that back window at twice.

01:50But what more can you say about the Celtic team?

01:52They're not just performing well in the league and domestically, they're performing well in Europe.

01:56And again today, I don't want to say a game so large, but when the back are against the wall, they still win.

02:01Yeah, that's what really good football teams do, is what Brendan Rodgers has instilled in the Celtic team.

02:07I think Celtic actually in the last couple of matches, in all competitions, haven't played as well as they can.

02:13But they've made sure they've got a draw or a win.

02:17Losing today would have been damaging for Celtic.

02:19It would have denied them the opportunity of a treble, of an invincible season.

02:23And we have to talk about those things with Celtic now.

02:26They are so hard to beat for any team in this country.

02:29And you've seen Rangers and Aberdeen come close this season, but not get over the line.

02:34It's going to be really hard to stop them.

02:36And they'll grow from this.

02:38They'll have the treble on their sides now, for sure.

02:41I feel like I'm saying this, hopefully, as maybe a new tool, but you always want excitement like you had today.

02:46And teams that are going to be close in the league, and you're going to have a big title race on.

02:49And that hasn't always been that way recently.

02:51Is there evidence that maybe they could be tied a little bit closer in time?

02:56Maybe. I want to see more evidence of consistency from Rangers in the league.

03:01In a one-off match like this, you can raise your game, you can get close.

03:06They're going to do it all through winter and beyond.

03:09Philippe Clermont has always said that Rangers are rebuilding.

03:12I think we're seeing some small signs of progress, but we need more evidence.

03:16Celtic are a juggernaut right now, and they're really hard to stop.

03:20And last but not least, where does that place in all-time?

03:23Yeah, we were just talking about that down in the press gantry, about where that is.

03:28Certainly league cup-wise, one of the best.

03:30I put it up there with Rangers beating Hearts 4-3 back in the 90s.

03:36The 4-3 cup violence in Motherwell, the Scottish Cup, Hibs with the Scottish Cup 3-2 against Rangers here.

03:41It had that kind of drama.

03:42One that I think anyone who was here will look back on fondly for years to come.

03:46Great one for the Eagles at least.

03:48Absolutely. Thanks for everything.

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