Ibrox View: 3/10 star stinks out Hampden Park, MOTM bags 8 - Rangers player ratings v Celtic

Celtic beat Rangers in a dramatic penalty shootout to secure the Scottish League Cup on Sunday at Hampden Park.

Nedrim Bajrami opened the scoring for Gers and sent his side into a 1-0 lead at half-time.

However, things changed in the second half with Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda finding the back of the net to make it 2-1.

Mohamed Diomande then made it 2-2 before Nicolas Kuhn and Danilo scored within a minute to make it 3-3 at the end of regulation time as well as extra time.

However, Brendan Rodgers’ side won the penalty shootout 5-4 to secure the trophy on 15 December.

Here are our player ratings from the game:

Jack Butland – 6

It was a lucky deflection that saw Taylor scoring and Butland cannot be blamed for that. Made a good stop near the hour mark to deny Reo Hatate as well. The Rangers number one did make a few important stops but nothing extraordinary.

James Tavernier – 4

Struggled to deal with Daizen Maeda again and that was what many Gers fans feared would happen. Usually good in possession, the Englishman gave away the ball on numerous occasions and was struggling out there. It was surprising that Clement did not take him off when he should have.

Robin Propper – 4

Not the best of games from the centre-back and he did little to ease any fears of John Souttar’s long-term injury. Struggled in possession and was also bullied on a few occasions at the heart of the Gers defence.

Leon Balogun – 6

His sloppy play in the defensive third led to Maeda finding the back of the net to give Celtic the lead in the game. Apart from that, there was not too much that one can fault him for and unless it was an injury, it seemed baffling to get him off.

Jefte – 3

Had one of his worst performances in a Rangers jersey. Kept giving away possession and offered nothing in the final third. Even defensively, he was not able to keep up with the speed of the Celtic attackers and also could not put his body on the line because of the booking. Nicolas Kuhn had a field day against the left-back and Clement deserves part of the blame for not taking him off quicker than he did.

Mohamed Diomande – 8

Timed his jump perfectly which led to Bajrami’s opening goal. His physicality helped prevent the Celtic midfielders from taking charge of proceedings. He then found the back of the net in the second half in what was a spirited display. Bullied Arne Engels to find the back of the net and ensure that the game was on again.

Nicolas Raskin – 6

Got caught in possession and it led to Celtic scoring their second. After an impressive first half, he just dropped the pace in the second and that led to Hoops capitalising. However, he still put in a tireless shift and looked exhausted in extra time. It was a surprise Clement let him continue.

Vaclav Cerny – 7

Did a phenomenal job assisting the sixth goal of the game, scored by Danilo, which sent the game into extra time. Appeared to be fouled during extra time and he should’ve won a penalty for Gers but the officials decided against it. Overall, it was a quality performance from the 27-year-old.

Nedim Bajrami – 8

This was the best Bajrami has performed all season and fans will be delighted that it was in a high-stakes game against their arch rivals. He did have a chance to square the ball during a 4-one-1 but apart from that, his display was flawless. He had to be taken off as he gave it his all and could not continue any more.

Ianis Hagi – 7

A classy performance from the Romanian in the final third – making everyone wonder Clement’s decision to isolate him from the first-team squad. His corners were not quite up to the mark but that would’ve been a collective decision rather than a personal one. He also contributed plenty on the defensive side of things and scored in the shootout.

Hamza Igamane – 7

Timed his shot for the opener perfectly. Had to wait for the right moment to slot the ball past two Celtic defenders and while he may not get the assist for it, he deserves all the praise in the world. There’s an argument that he could’ve reacted better to prevent Taylor’s goal from happening. He then played an important role to provide an assist for Diomande’s goal to level things up for Gers.

Substitutes

Ridvan Yilmaz – 4

Came on to replace Jefte and provided some much-needed solidity down the left for Gers. However, he missed the penalty in the shootout.

Dujon Sterling – 5

Replaced Leon Balogun and had his work cut out on a few occasions. He tried his best to keep the Celtic attackers out and also committed a few errors.

Danilo – 7

Came off the bench to find the back of the net and did exactly what Clement and the fans would’ve wanted from him.

Cyriel Dessers – 2

Came off the bench and contributed absolutely nothing. Struggled to hold up the ball or stretch the opposition’s defence. It clearly explained why he’s not been starting of late.

Connor Barron – 5

Offered legs off the bench and tried to help the midfield from getting overrun.

Kieran Dowell – 2

Much like Dessers, failed to impact the game after coming off the bench.

In other Rangers news, David Edgar has issued a claim as the club have made yet another behind-the-scenes change.

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