The Glasgow giants required a penalty shootout to defeat Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final, and Brendan Rodgers knew that Celtic got away with it.
As the two bitter rivals prepare to face one other again on Thursday, Rodgers acknowledges that Rangers’ tenacity, off-the-ball play, organization, and pressing intensity were all problems for Celtic.
It was evident from the first minute that the Celtic manager had failed to come up with a response to the questions Rangers would pose to his team once more, this time in the familiar surroundings of Ibrox, two weeks after Kasper Schmeichel had stopped Ridvan Yilmaz from 12 yards out to turn the ribbons from blue to green.
Former Rangers winger Neil McCann, who watched from the gantry, came to the conclusion that Nedim Bajrami was the one who set the tone after he beat Celtic metronome Callum McGregor.
However, Chris Sutton, who was seated next to McCann, thought that the guy in blue was by far the greatest on the field. According to former Celtic manager Neil Lennon, the unstoppable Nico Raskin was “excellent” at Hampden Park and much better here.
Nico Raskin is praised by Chris Sutton as the Rangers thrash Celtic
In addition to avoiding the kind of mistake that allowed Daizen Maeda to equalize in the cup final in December, Raskin managed three tackles, four interceptions, and an assist for Ianis Hagi’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it opening.
As the struggling Belgian left the field in stoppage time to a rousing ovation, Sutton, a four-time Premiership winner across town, told Sky Sports, “I think Raskin has been the outstanding player on the pitch.”
Although there have been many talented players in blue, he has been the standout. Additionally, Hagi’s objective to lead the Rangers is crucial.
“The shot passes through Cameron Carter-Vickers’ legs, but it’s incredibly precise.”
Raskin’s season began with injury, but before a much-needed breakthrough was made back in October, Ianis Hagi was twitching his thumbs in the reserves owing to a contract dispute.
As some say, the Romanian has been “like a new signing,” but that would just lessen his effect.
After witnessing Ianis Hagi swoop past Kasper Schmeichel and celebrate the kind of finish his renowned father, who was watching from the Ibrox terraces, would have been proud of, Neil McCann expressed his joy at Hagi’s Rangers comeback, saying, “We know this boy has talent both [on his] left and right.”
“He takes that on without hesitation. It finds the bottom corner and is forceful and low. A brilliant work has just been created by [Gheorghe Hagi’s] son.
He was too skilled, in my opinion, to be excluded. His positive outlook, his energy, and Bajrami’s ability to switch from the left to the ten position have all made him an invaluable addition to the frontline.
“You have to give Rangers credit even though Celtic have been so reckless.”
Naturally, Rangers are still 11 points behind Celtic at the top of the table. And even though this won’t likely affect anything in the title race, if you can even call it that, such a lopsided, decisive win over a team that has been giving the Gers nightmares for the past ten years still feels like a huge, possibly even maturing, statement from a team that is still going through a lot of change.
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