Celtic extend Scottish dominance – nine out of 10 trophies for Brendan Rodgers

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Beat Rangers 1-0 in Scottish Cup final 

Celtic completed the double after winning the Scottish Cup final after a dramatic late winner secured a 1-0 win over arch rivals Rangers. Celtic were miles from their best but Adam Idah popped up in the 90th minute to capitalise on Jack Butland’s error to send the green and white faithful into raptures.

Callum McGregor lifted the famous cup at Hampden after hoisting the Scottish Premiership trophy aloft last weekend. It was Celtic’s 12th title in the last 13 years as they continued their dominance in Scotland as Brendan Rodgers added to his incredible trophy record with the Parched side. The Northern Irishman has now won nine of a possible ten trophies during his two spells in Celtic and he’s won back the affection of his supporters after initial scepticism over his return. It was Rodgers’ third Scottish Cup triumph at Celtic to add to his three Scottish Premiership titles and three League Cups.

Rodgers returned to Celtic last summer with his reputation amongst supporters damaged after his sudden exit for Leicester City in 2019. The Northern Irishman, however, enjoyed complete dominance during his maiden spell at Celtic, winning all seven trophies on offer before returning to the Premier League. Rodgers received a lukewarm reception on his return to Glasgow and it was a difficult task to replace the incredibly popular, and successful, Ange Postecoglou.

Speaking after the win, Rodgers said: “Obviously for the spectators it was very tense. It’s a game you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to win and we did that by the end. We found an energy and a will and desire to keep pushing. Thankfully, we got a winner.I said to the players, when you’re preparing for a final it’s not about what you done the week before it’s about the other 51 weeks. All the players, their mentality and professionalism has been unbelievable. It’s been a fantastic season, to win a double. The problem is that when you win trophies, it becomes an expectation. That’s not a problem. You can’t take away what the Scottish Cup means for this club and our supporters. Rangers came in with a big motivation. We knew there would be challenges in the game. It’s all about the defining moments and we were able to get the winning goal because of that.”

It was a forgettable first half amid an incredible atmosphere at Hampden Park with both sides lacking quality in the final third and neither goalkeeper had a notable save to make. It was an unbelievably tense affair as the second half progressed and the jeopardy increased and the moment of controversy arrived on the hour. Rangers celebrated wildly as they thought they’d opened the scoring through Abdallah Sima from James Tavernier’s corner but after a VAR intervention, referee Nick Walsh adjudged that Nicolas Raskin had pushed Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart.Rangers played well in the second half but it ultimately meant nothing as substitute Idah was quickest to react to Butland’s fumble and he fired home from close range. The Norwich City loanee has been instrumental in Celtic winning the double and Rodgers will be eyeing a permanent deal with guaranteed Champions League football bolstering his transfer budget this summer.