If Ange Postecoglou derived added satisfaction from the retention of the League Cup, he hid it well.
Celtic’s manager has been an interested observer as Rangers stirred under the guidance of Michael Beale. Game 15 of Beale’s hitherto unbeaten tenure saw Celtic reaffirm the sense they are Scotland’s dominant force. What football that arrived in a ragged final came from those in hoops; the first piece of silverware of this Scottish season belongs to Celtic.
Postecoglou made a post-match point of emphasising all that is good about his team. “This club is steeped in success so when you take the job, you know that is your responsibility,” said the Australian. “But you have to earn it. We earned it through hard work. The reason I push them is for days like today. We are not going to be guided by external measures of how good we can be.” In other words: catch us if you can.
For the second League Cup final in succession, Kyogo Furuhashi was Celtic’s match winner. The Japanese forward took his campaign goal tally to 24 with a close-range double. Alfredo Morelos offered Rangers hope but there was never any real sense Celtic could be reeled in.
Beale was magnanimous in defeat. “No complaints with the overall result,” he said. “I was expecting more from the team and myself on the day so it is disappointing. We didn’t play to our true level. We have no excuses. I thought Celtic played well today, the resistance from the opposition was big.”
Rangers’ manager explained the message to his players during an impromptu post-match huddle on the Hampden pitch. “Suck it up, take it on board,” he said. “It’s not nice but we didn’t come to the game until the second half, in my opinion.”
Beale’s own role is worthy of scrutiny. He has made great play of signing individuals he believes can make an impact on the Rangers first XI. Nonetheless, the club’s two January arrivals – Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell – began this match as substitutes. Beale’s response to that involved strong Rangers performances with alternative personnel against Hearts and the last time they faced Celtic. Yet it is legitimate to ask why Cantwell and Raskin were brought in but not relied upon for the biggest game of Beale’s tenure. The midfield Beale deployed was one-paced and ponderous.
Rangers’ afternoon had started inauspiciously in the stands, too, with a significant segment of their support belting out sectarian verse during a tribute to the recently deceased Hibernian owner Ron Gordon. Scottish football’s executives, as ever, stood with metaphoric fingers in ears.
Furuhashi always looked the most likely to break the deadlock, having peppered Allan McGregor’s goal before he met a Greg Taylor cross. Reo Hatate and Aaron Mooy were also involved in a typically slick Celtic buildup.
Ryan Kent came within the width of a post of restoring parity five minutes after the interval. Fashion Sakala should probably have done better with the rebound, which he slashed into side-netting.
Celtic heeded the warning. After the Rangers captain, James Tavernier, gave up easy possession, Callum McGregor fed Mooy. The Australian played in Hatate, whose cross was converted by Furuhashi. Celtic had one hand and four fingers on the cup. “Players at this club are often judged on what they do on the biggest stages and he delivers again,” said Postecoglou of Furuhashi. “He was outstanding today.”
Morelos stabbed home at the back post from Tavernier’s free-kick to give Rangers a pulse. Yet the match finished with Celtic the more likely to score; Sead Haksabanovic screwed wide after rampaging through on goal.
Beale insisted he is “super positive” about Rangers’ future. Given the gulf between the Glasgow clubs, it feels difficult to establish why.
“Moments like this, you want to get the whole experience,” Postecoglou said. “You watch the players, the fans, what it means to them. I take great pride in it. It’s a day I’ll remember for ever. We’ve been consistent for a very long time. We don’t let our standards slip in terms of our football.”
