Jullien and Forster combine as Celtic pull off Hampden heist
● Frenchman plunders winning goal and keeper saves Morelos penalty as ten men hold out for win
An extraordinary Betfred Cup final delivered the most compelling evidence yet that football’s normal law of averages simply does not apply to the current Celtic side who racked up a tenth consecutive domestic trophy triumph in the unlikeliest of circumstances.
Outplayed for most of the afternoon at a sodden National Stadium by Rangers, the Scottish champions pulled off a heist when Christopher Jullien scored the only goal on the hour mark.
If Jullien was the match-winner, Celtic’s hero was Fraser Forster. The on-loan Southampton goalkeeper defied Steven Gerrard’s side with a string of outstanding saves, including the one which kept out Alfredo Morelos’ penalty shortly after Celtic had gone in front.
Despite having to see out the game with ten men, teenage defender Jeremie Frimpong having been sent off in conceding the penalty, Neil Lennon’s team displayed remarkable resilience to maintain their stranglehold on the silverware.
For Rangers, the wait for a first trophy since 2011 continues. Gerrard and his players will wake up this morning still struggling to comprehend just how they failed to end that drought.
As gratified as he would have been by the manner his team started the match and proceeded to dominate, Gerrard would have quickly felt a sense of frustration at their failure to translate that superiority on to the scoreboard. The more chances Rangers passed up, the more ominous it must have felt for their manager.
There was a far greater sense of urgency and desire from Rangers, in the sharpest contrast to an uncharacteristically flat and often apprehensive display from Celtic.
Lennon’s men were on the back foot from the opening exchanges when Connor Goldson should have managed to get at least one of a couple of headed efforts on target, instead screwing them wide, as he was picked out by James Tavernier’s precise deliveries. Celtic’s defence were no more convincing in dealing with threats from the other flank and even the relatively diminutive Scott Arfield was able to meet a Borna Barisic cross and send a header wide of Forster’s left-hand post.
Celtic simply couldn’t retain possession whenever they did venture into their attacking third of the pitch. Lewis Morgan flashed a shot wide after being picked out by James Forrest but the makeshift striker, again standing-in for Odsonne Edouard who was only fit enough for a place on the bench, generally struggled to make an impression.
The cup holders had Forster to thank for keeping them on level terms as the big goalkeeper made some outstanding interventions to defy Rangers. His leaping one-handed save to keep out Ryan Jack’s sweetly struck 25-yarder was the pick of the bunch.
Forster was almost embarrassed when a shot from Morelos squirmed through his legs on the treacherous surface but his blushes were spared as Jonny Hayes cleared off the line under pressure from Joe Aribo.
As Rangers remained in the ascendancy,
“If Christopher Jullien was the match-winner, Celtic’s hero was Fraser Forster. The on-loan Southampton goalkeeper defied Steven Gerrard’s side with a string of outstanding saves”
Forster made another smart stop to keep out a low Morelos shot. The Colombian striker’s eagerness to claim his first goal in an Old Firm fixture clouded his judgment in the 28th minute when he brilliantly beat Kristoffer Ajer to surge into the penalty area. Instead of cutting the ball back for Ryan Kent, who would have had a simple shooting chance, Morelos elected to try and beat Forster from a tight angle, providing a fairly simple save for the keeper.
There was a scare for Rangers when Jack went down in agony after making a tremendous recovery challenge on Morgan to halt a dangerous counter-attack from Celtic but the midfielder was able to continue after lengthy treatment.
Forster’s duel with Morelos continued five minutes before the break when the striker got on the end of a slickmoveinvolvingariboandarfield and again saw his shot smothered.
Unsurprisingly, Lennon made a change at half-time with the anonymous Mohamed Elyounoussi replaced by Mikey Johnston. But it made no immediate difference to the pattern of play as Morelos flashed another effort wide from a tight
angle before Forster reacted sharply to scramble the ball away from Aribo inside the six-yard box.
It was one-way traffic as Scott Brown was fortunate to survive a penalty claim against him for a challenge on Morelos who then forced another excellent save from Forster with a header from Tavernier’s free-kick.
Lennon was left with little option but to finally press Edouard into action, the less-than-fully-fit striker taking over from Morgan. He made a rapid impact, teasing a needless foul from Goldson for the free-kick which saw Celtic plunder the winning goal.
Ryan Christie whipped it over from the left and Jullien beat Mcgregor with a cute side-footed finish, assistant referee David Roome failing to spot the defender had strayed offside.
Iftherangersplayerscouldscarcely credit falling behind, they showed no sign of feeling sorry for themselves. They were immediately back on the front foot and earned the opportunity to equalise three minutes later.
Frimpong was caught on the wrong side of Morelos in the box and the fullback’s clumsy challenge gave referee Willie Collum a simple decision to make as he pointed to the spot and produced the red card for Frimpong.
But Morelos, Rangers’ newly designated penalty taker, fluffed his lines against Celtic once more as Forster dived to his right to keep the ball out.
Johnston should have piled on the agony for Rangers when he was sent clear on the counter by Edouard but the winger wastefully dragged his shot wide of Mcgregor’s left-hand post.
Gerrard sent on Jermain Defoe and Brandon Barker for the closing stages but Celtic’s management of the last half hour or so with just ten men was admirable.
Inevitably, Rangers’ best chances for an equaliser fell to Morelos but he was unable to salvage the situation or his own wretched afternoon, blazing one attempt wildly over and then, in stoppage time, slashing another wide. RANGERS: Mcgregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Helander (Katic 84), Barisic, Kamara (Defoe 71), Jack, Aribo (Barker 74), Arfield, Morelos, Kent. Subs not used: Ojo, Foderingham, Flanagan, Stewart.
CELTIC: Forster, Frimpong, Jullien, Ajer, Hayes, Brown, Mcgregor, Forrest (Bitton 66), Christie, Elyounoussi (Johnston 46), Morgan (Edouard 59). Subs not used: Gordon, Rogic, Ntcham, Bolingoli.