Match report
Celtic fans celebrate with their fans after a thoroughly deserved victory. Aberdeen showed plenty of endeavour, but rarely threatened Craig Gordon, and lacked the quality Celtic showed in taking the first-half goals that decided this final.
It’s a historic day for Celtic, as they take their trophy count into treble figures. More immediately, it’s their first under Brendan Rodgers, and with a healthy league lead, they have every chance of securing a different kind of treble later this season.
Thanks for joining me. Ewan Murray’s report will follow shortly. Bye!
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Full time: Aberdeen 0-3 Celtic
Goals from Tom Rogic, James Forrest and a Moussa Dembélé penalty have earned Brendan Rodgers’ first trophy at Celtic, and the 100th major title in the club’s history.
🏆💯#CenturyCelts pic.twitter.com/QaDHjldlxW
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) November 27, 2016
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91 mins: Celtic fans belt out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, scarves aloft. This one has been over since Dembélé slotted that penalty away.
90 mins: Forrest, the game’s standout player is replaced by Griffiths, who looks miffed after waiting four minutes to come on. There’s only two minutes left.
89 mins: Maddison, Aberdeen’s standout player today, curls a shot straight at Gordon as the Dons search for a consolation.
More on Jayden Stockley, from Matt Loten:
“As a Portsmouth fan, I also got the chance to watch Stockley up close in the basement league last season. After a couple of goals in a dozen loan appearances, we surprisingly declined to take our interest further, deciding instead that pretty much anyone else on the planet would do as good a job.”
I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for the lad.
87 mins: Leigh Griffiths is coming on, and will touch the trophy for longer than the ball.
85 mins: Chris Sutton and Stewart are now disagreeing for the sake of it as the game winds down. Sutton certainly has the air of a man directing an angry customer to the small print.
83 mins: Forrest finds space down the right and picks out Armstrong with a low cross. Armstrong fires wide – that should’ve been four.
81 mins: Niall McGinn caught offside, leading to a lengthy commentary box row between Michael Stewart and Chris Sutton, the latter admonishing McGinn for mistiming his run. Derek Rae has to step in after a full minute of back and forth.
79 mins: Adam Rooney’s afternoon is over. He’s replaced by Wes Burns.
“I watched Jayden Stockley on a number of occasions at (the real) St James Park, whilst he was on loan with Exeter City towards the end of last season” says Robin Durie.
“He had a bit of potential, but, in truth, jobbing Division 4 striker seemed to be pretty much his level... or Scottish League Cup Final substitute. Which casts further light on where things stand with Scottish football. Sadly.”
He did score a lovely chip a few weeks ago...
77 mins: Rogic, scorer of the opening goal, goes off to a huge ovation. He’s replaced by Callum McGregor.
75 mins: Armstrong is given time to cut inside, twist and turn before firing over from the edge of the box. Aberdeen have repeatedly failed to close Celtic down in the final third, and are going to pay for it.
74 mins: Stockley and McGinn have been unable to make any impact, with Celtic sitting deep to see this out. McGinn does get a low cross in, but it’s cleared with ease at the near post.
72 mins: Maddison dances past Bitton, who tugs at his shirt and is booked. Replays show that the Aberdeen man went down a little enthusiastically, and his free kick sails straight into Craig Gordon’s arms.
69 mins: Scott Brown is showboating in the middle of the park. For Aberdeen, Johnny Hayes is replaced by Niall McGinn.
67 mins: Celtic fans light up their phones in tribute to the 1967 European Cup winning team. Aberdeen are doing nothing to spoil their celebratory mood.
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66 mins: The commentators reckon this will be Brendan Rodgers’ first trophy as a manager. Surely this picture says different?
64 mins: Changes! Stockley is on for O’Connor a minute too late, while Nir Bitton replaces Patrick Roberts for Celtic.
GOAL! Aberdeen 0-3 Celtic (Dembélé penalty)
Moussa Dembélé, who has scored in the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-final, sends Lewis the wrong way to complete the set, and surely win the League Cup for Celtic.
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Penalty to Celtic!
O’Connor, about to be replaced, is caught cold by Forrest cutting into the area to collect Rogic’s pass, and upends the Celtic midfielder. That’s stonewall, I’m afraid.
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60 mins: Armstrong overhits a through ball to Roberts, who pushes Logan over in pursuit of a lost cause. Aberdeen give the ball away in midfield, and Rogic hits a shot from distance that Lewis is right behind.
59 mins: Izaguirre misjudges a high ball, allowing it to bounce through to O’Connor, whose attempted pull back floats over the bar. Jayden Stockley is set to come on for Aberdeen.
58 mins: Forrest, who has been excellent alongside Rogic in midfield, is given space to step forward, and fires an angled shot just over the bar.
57 mins: Aberdeen finding some joy with direct balls into the box, and Logan gets forward from right-back to collect Hayes’ cut-back – but Forrest does brilliantly to deflect his shot over the bar. From the corner, Maddison is offside.
55 mins: In another curious bit of officiating, Aberdeen win a corner after McLean’s header. Maddison aims for the near post, Celtic head clear, and Brown is there to deal with Maddison’s low return ball.
54 mins: Celtic again look to settle things down, draining Aberdeen’s momentum with a long spell of possession – until a foul on Izaguirre goes unpunished, Aberdeen break, and McLean heads wide from Hayes’ cross.
52 mins: Rooney collects Shinnie’s ball down the left, and threads a dangerous low ball across goal. There’s nobody in a red shirt in the box, but Izaguirre nervously puts it behind. The corner almost falls to O’Connor, who is inches from connecting with a diving header.
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50 mins: Jack lifts a long free kick into the box, and Rooney can’t get a touch on Taylor’s useful flick-on. Lustig eases the pressure by winning a cheap free kick, going down in stages in front of McLean, who is penalised.
49 mins: Maddison breaks away at speed and Brown does the necessary, body-checking his willowy opponent and earning an inevitable booking.
47 mins: Aberdeen make a meal of dealing with a Celtic attack, with Roberts getting in behind and heading back towards Forrest, who prods the ball towards Dembélé, whose header from an angle is blocked by Lewis.
Here’s Simon McMahon:
“Afternoon Niall. Of course, Dundee United would have beaten Aberdeen in the semi-final, and would now be giving Celtic a better game, had we not inexplicably lost to Morton in the last eight. We’d most likely have beaten Barcelona midweek too, given that our competitive record against them is played 4, won 4. Anyway, cocktails on me if this goes to extra time.”
46 mins: Rogic is again given too much space in midfield, but his attempted pass to Dembélé is cut out by Taylor.
Peep!
We’re off. Both sides playing towards their own fans in the second half.
The players are heading back out for the second half; no changes for either side. Aberdeen do have a few attacking options on the bench.
Aberdeen learnt a hard lesson in that first half – you’ve got to track the runners:
Half time: Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic
Two well-taken goals from Tom Rogic and James Forrest, and Celtic have a deserved lead; trophy No100 is 45 minutes away.
44 mins: Hayes lifts a long free kick into the area, and Taylor uses his considerable frame to get above Scott Brown – but his flick-on is cleared.
42 mins: A goal for Aberdeen here would give them a glimmer of hope for the second half. Maddison’s corner is met by O’Connor, but his looped header is claimed by Gordon.
40 mins: Celtic fans are engaged in a mass ‘huddle’ behind the goal, making Hampden Park bounce. Their mood is only improved by Rooney’s wild effort from 20 yards, which flies into the stand.
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38 mins: Aberdeen, completely overrun in the lead-up to Forrest’s goal, win a corner, but Taylor has the ball taken away from him by a vital near-post touch from Dembélé.
GOAL! Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic (Forrest)
James Forrest is again allowed to run forward from central midfield, steps away from O’Connor and fires into the far corner from 20 yards! Expertly taken, and Celtic are in control.
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35 mins: Dembélé forces his way past Taylor down the byline, and goes to ground under Taylor’s challenge. No penalty, but Celtic are pushing forward relentlessly now, as Roberts fires just wide of the far post.
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34 mins: Patrick Roberts tests Considine’s pace, knocking the ball one way and haring past him the other – but the full back has just enough in the tank to recover.
33 mins: Celtic beginning to squeeze Aberdeen higher up the pitch, Dembélé given time to line up a shot, before Taylor and O’Connor collectively close him down.
32 mins: Armstrong and Roberts play a one-two through the Aberdeen back four, but Armstrong is forced wide by the overhit return, and the move breaks down as Brown shoves his marker over. “I got the ball”, he tells the referee, convincing not even himself.
30 mins: Seven of Celtic’s outfield players spent 90 minutes chasing Barcelona around on Wednesday, and there’s an understandable strategy to conserve their energy out there.
28 mins: Celtic take their sweet time over the corner, with plenty coming up from the back, but Considine gets his head to it first and clears.
26 mins: Celtic continue to slow the pace, before Forrest barrels infield from the left and sees his shot deflected behind.
23 mins: The early ebb and flow has dissipated, with Celtic happy to sit back and let Aberdeen try and find a way through the midfield. They do break through Rogic, but his woeful pass to Dembélé kills the counter attack. Moments before, O’Connor is perhaps fortunate not to concede a free kick after cutting off Armstrong in midfield.
21 mins: Maddison wins another free kick, befuddling Roberts on the halfway line, and then another, getting hauled down by Lustig. Celtic are struggling with his trickery in the early stages.
19 mins: Dembélé, who has scored in every round for Celtic, bustles to the edge of the area, but holds the ball up rather than testing Lewis, and sees his attempted through ball intercepted.
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17 mins: Maddison wins a free kick on the left, and the delivery finds Considine unmarked – but his header is turned away by Gordon!
Scott Brown was the architect, sliding in smartly in midfield to prod a diagonal pass to Rogic, out on the right. The Australian cut inside Shinnie, and curled a left-footed shot into the far corner! That goal came 22 seconds after Maddison’s shot at the other end.
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GOAL! Aberdeen 0-1 Celtic (Rogic)
Maddison again finds space and sees his shot blocked by Sviatchenko, Celtic break... and Tom Rogic scores a beauty!
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13 mins: Maddison causes more problems for the Celtic defence, twisting through a tight gap and winning a dangerous free kick as Brown brings him down. McLean lines it up, 25 yards out and central, but fires his effort into the wall.
12 mins: A first opening for Celtic, as Dembélé fires a header at Joe Lewis from Izaguirre’s cross. The keeper parries it back into danger – but Aberdeen clear, and Rogic fires over from distance.
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11 mins: McLean wins the ball neatly in midfield, and James Maddison nearly sets Rooney free with an inventive through ball down the left, but there’s just too much on it.
10 mins: Celtic have had 87% possession so far.
9 mins: Aberdeen press forward for the first time, with Hayes romping down the right – but Scott Brown races across and puts in a challenge in trademark fashion.
7 mins: Rogic is sold short by Simunovic’s pass, and catches Aberdeen captain Ryan Jack with a high boot, giving away a free kick but escaping a booking.
6 mins: Aberdeen are sitting deep, not wanting to give Celtic any early opportunities – but Roberts slides a through ball to Forrest, who slips under Logan’s challenge. Celtic fans appeal for a penalty, but Forrest fell over.
3 mins: Considine is penalised after colliding with Mikael Lustig, as the fans exchange lusty chants from opposite ends of the stadium.
2 mins: Celtic immediately get on the ball, Roberts almost skipping through the defence from the right after being picked out by Rogic.
We're off!
Referee John Beaton gets us under way. Aberdeen are in all red, Celtic in green and white hoops, as it should be.
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There’s an absolutely belting atmosphere inside Hampden Park – the Aberdeen fans are armed with red and silver flags, while Celtic’s supporters unveil a giant gold ‘100’ banner as the players emerge from the tunnel.
💯🏆🙏#BetfredCup #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/mwUj4DBdUi
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) November 27, 2016
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Here’s a bit more on Brendan Rodgers’ push for a February-November season in Scotland. Thoughts welcome...
We’re blessed in terms of what we have here compared to other teams but take a developing kid for example. The best months of the year he’s off. The season has finished and the posts get taken down and the grass doesn’t get cut. Now – in season – it’s just about keeping kids warm. You can’t coach them. At Liverpool, we turned things around because of this. If you are outside it’s tough. It was minus eight here this morning.
Having been here now and experienced it I would say that there is an argument to say a season which starts in February to November would work up here and there would be benefits for clubs. There would be financial benefits and benefits for coaching in the warmer months. Then, when you are midway through your season, you get the qualifiers. Astana had played 22 games by the time we faced them and that’s remarkable because we had played once.
History
Victory today would give Celtic their 100th major trophy – they’ve won 47 leagues, 36 Scottish Cups, 15 League Cups and 1 European Cup. That’s not to mention the hatful of other pots they’ve snaffled, from 1938’s Empire Exhibition Trophy to their ongoing dominance of the Jock Stein Friendship Cup.
When it comes to finals between these two clubs, it’s closer than you might think. In eight meetings, it’s honours even – and Aberdeen have won four of the last five finals. The Dons beat Celtic in the 1970, 1984 and 1990 Scottish Cups, and the 1976 League Cup final, where Davie Robb’s extra-time winner saw off Celtic, despite an outrageous dive from Kenny Dalglish:
Celtic make two changes from the team that lost to Barcelona in midweek, with Patrick Roberts and James Forrest replacing Scott Sinclair, who is out with a hamstring injury, and Callum McGregor. Aberdeen make one change, with James Maddison replacing Jayden Stockley.
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Team news in full
Aberdeen: Lewis; Logan, Considine, Taylor, O’Connor; Shinnie, Jack, McLean; Hayes, Maddison; Rooney.
Subs: Alexander, Reynolds, Pawlett, Burns, McGinn, Stockley, Storey.
Celtic: Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Izaguirre; Brown, Rogic, Armstrong; Roberts, Forrest; Dembélé.
Subs: De Vries, Touré, Bitton, Griffiths, Gamboa, Mackay-Steven, McGregor.
Teams!
Today's team to face Celtic in the #BetfredCupFinal! #StandFree #DonsLIVE pic.twitter.com/t9mL7F7OnD
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) November 27, 2016
📋 Celtic team for the #BetfredCup Final vs @AberdeenFC. #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/aTNkTtIplT
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) November 27, 2016
Preamble
Hello. Brendan Rodgers only arrived in Scottish football six months ago, but he’s keen to revolutionise not just Celtic, but the entire league. Much of his pre-game patter has focused on revamping the Scottish calendar by moving to a summer season, rather than the task at hand today.
Celtic are ahead of the curve, with their season looking set in stone before Christmas. They are out of Europe already, eight points clear in the title race, and the League Cup’s new format means they can win a trophy before they start opening their aspirational advent calendars.
Aberdeen stand in Celtic’s way in 2016’s second League Cup final. Derek McInnes’ side have finished as runners-up in the last two league campaigns, but so far have only the 2014 League Cup to show for their stint as Scotland’s second-best team. They will test favourites Celtic, who have made it to Hampden without even conceding a goal.
It’s a Cup final – in November. Why not? Kick-off is at 3pm; team news to follow.
