The second Old Firm Derby of the season took place today in the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup and it was the same man to make the headlines. Moussa Dembele was the hero for Celtic last time out when the two Scottish giants met each other last month in the Premiership, and once again it was the young Frenchman who stepped up on the big occasion.
Celtic were the better of the two teams for major parts in the game but they cold not make their dominance count until the 87th minute when Dembele beautifully converted Leigh Griffiths’ lovely awaited cross. The Hoops had a number of chances to take the lead but Matt Gilks matched up with his heroics under the bar until the last minutes when he could not prevent Dembele from scoring.
The win paves the way for Brendan Rodgers to win his first silverware in Scotland when his side face Aberdeen in the final next month at Hampden. Here are the player ratings for Celtic from the game-
Crag Gordon: 6/10
Was poor with his distribution. Played unnecessary passes to his defenders. Made a few decent stops.
Mikael Lustig: 6.5/10
Was effective on either end. Made a brilliant tackle on Wallace.
Jozo Simunovic: 7.5/10
Was brilliant at the back making a number of solid blocks and interceptions. Passed really well. Fantastic block to deny a near-certain goal for Holt.
Erik Sviatchenko: 7/10
Started a bit nervously but improved drastically as the game went on. Played out of the back. Had a goal clearly denied.
Kieran Tierney: 7/10
Rangers played extra-defensive on his flank and nullified the threat posed by the youngster. The youngster did well defensively when called upon.
Scott Brown: 7.5/10
Did everything a midfielder needs to do. Ran tirelessly, made a lot of tackles, intercepted Rangers’ counter attacks. A lovely game from the skipper.
Nir Bitton: 3.5/10
Looked very slow in midfield and lost the ball a number of times. Looked very shaky.
James Forrest: 7/10
Started slowly but then made an impact from the right flank. Was lively and created a few good chances.
Tom Rogic: 7/10
Could have and should have scored at least one goal. However, his movement, pressing and passing were delightful.
Scott Sinclair: 7.5/10
Dangerous run at the defence and found Rogic who saw his shot deflected over the bar. Saw his excellent free-kick brilliantly matched by Gilks to divert into the crossbar.
Moussa Dembele: 8/1o
Was brilliant with his movement and physicality. Could have scored earlier on two occasions.
Substitutes
Stuart Armstong: 6.5/10
Came on for Bitton with 29 minutes remaining in the game and added much-needed energy in midfield. Looked much more lively than Bitton in the middle of the park.
Leigh Griffiths: 7/10
Made a big impact coming off the bench, eventually setting up Dembele for the winner.
Cristian Gamboa: NA
