Rangers’ League Cup Final Performance Praised, Yet Regrets Linger Over Defeat and Penalty Call

As Rangers manager, Philippe Clement has not yet secured a victory against Celtic. Upon entering Hampden Park, the Rangers squad was met by a supporter banner proclaiming ‘Eyes on the prize’. Throughout 120 minutes of play, followed by penalties, their determination to claim the League Cup trophy against Celtic was undeniably strong. Just weeks prior, it would have been challenging to find a significant portion of fans confident that Phillipe Clement’s team would keep their silverware. However, according to former Ibrox striker Billy Dodds, speaking on BBC Sportsound, “a switch has been flicked” within the team recently. He further stated, “Three weeks ago, something changed. Rangers were ready for this,” adding, “Now they have to prove that the bar has been set and it’s the long-term vision.” Numerous factors had led to a diminished belief among Rangers’ most dedicated supporters as the year progressed from autumn into winter. Celtic’s current 11-point lead in the league was a contributing factor, as was Rangers’ inconsistent performance. The sentiment was also reinforced by the straightforward 3-0 victory Brendan Rodgers’ team secured over their rivals in September. Nevertheless, this recent match bore no resemblance to that earlier defeat. Even after Rangers conceded to fall 2-1 behind, despite initially taking the lead at the national stadium, they did not appear defeated. They maintained their composure and did not withdraw into their customary defensive posture, which would have allowed Celtic to control the game. Even Liam Scales, a Celtic defender, acknowledged Rangers for “the battle” they presented and the subsequent “carnage.” Dodds commented that Rangers demonstrated “the right mental strength” for a match against the league champions, and Neil McCann, another former Ibrox player, remarked that they “were miles ahead of where they were” in September. It is uncommon for the losing side in a cup final to receive such extensive commendation, yet Rangers’ strong, spirited, and dynamic display prompted former Scotland defender Willie Miller to characterize it as “a good cup final” for them. Miller further qualified, “If being defeated in a cup final can be a good thing, that is.” He also suggested, “I think Phillipe Clement can rightly say that they played well and he can put forward a case to the fans that his players are beginning to respond to what he wants them to do.” Currently, Clement’s primary concern is questioning why his team was not given a penalty during the second half. The incident involved Vaclav Cerny’s shirt being pulled and his foot clipped by Scales, which resulted in a free-kick being awarded just outside the Celtic penalty area. Clement, however, stated that he received “hundreds of messages” regarding the event, indicating that the foul occurred on the edge of the box and should have been a penalty. The Rangers manager commented, “I don’t know if you saw the images back, but my phone is overloaded with the penalty situation. I’ve had hundreds of messages about that decisive moment. The referee cannot see that moment, but he didn’t get the VAR communication to come to the screen, which is weird for me.” Nevertheless, what struck McCann and fellow Sportscene pundit Scott Allan as unusual was the absence of strong protest from the Rangers players. McCann expressed that he was “amazed the Rangers players weren’t going berserk,” while Allan found it perplexing that “Cerny didn’t make much noise himself.” However, considerable vocal reactions emanated from the stands, dugout, and pitch when Rangers failed to capitalize on a four-on-one counter-attack. After gaining possession, Cerny passed to Hamza Igamane, who chose to deliver the ball to Nedim Bajrami on his right, rather than passing back to the advancing Cerny or Mohamed Diomande on his left. Cameron Carter-Vickers managed to recover and block Bajrami’s cross, nullifying the scoring opportunity. Clement stated that it was “really disappointing that we made the wrong decision.” Despite this, errors were infrequent, a contrast to recent derby matches. Although Rangers ultimately relinquished their hold on the trophy, they left the field nearly three hours after the game began, looking towards future achievements.