Away from the manufactured furore of Rangers being denied a penalty against Celtic in the League Cup final, Philippe Clement points out the real reason his team lost the Hampden final.
Celtic beat Rangers after a 3-3 draw saw the game drift towards a penalty shootout after 30 minutes of extra time produced no other moments of drama.
As it was, Daizen Maeda tucked away Celtic’s winning penalty after Hoops hero, Kasper Schmeichel saved Ridvan Yilmaz’s spot kick to win the trophy that eluded Brendan Rodgers last season.
But as the furore over Celtic defender Liam Scales and the apparent penalty that should have been given against him rolls on, Clement points out the exact moment that his Rangers players failed to take their chance that he believes cost them the League Cup.
Philippe Clement rues ‘massive moment’ that cost Rangers the League Cup vs Celtic
At one point, Rangers had a 4 v 1 where Celtic stalwart Cameron Carter-Vickers stood up to thwart a counterattack he had no business winning.
As Carter-Vickers made the crucial interception, Clement admits that it was that moment that proved costly to his team in the final.
Clement told Rangers FC, ”Yeah it’s a massive moment. And that’s a really disappointing one that we made the wrong choice there because, on the left side, we have two players free.
”If Hamza [Igamane] slows down his tempo and then gives this ball then it’s impossible to defend.
”So yeah that’s also for sure a crucial point in the game but yeah, I think we grabbed a lot of moments in this game.
”Of course, we’re going to show that one also to the team to make it better for the future.”
Celtic’s commanding dominance over Rangers boss Philippe Clement
Celtic have landed Philippe Clement with an unwanted record that the club hadn’t seen equalled since World War I.
Clement has now overseen a six-game winless run over Celtic as Rangers struggle to get the better of the Scottish champions.
So here is Clement’s grim record in full as Celtic fans still celebrate the League Cup win:
- Dec 30, 2023: Scottish Premiership Celtic 2 v 1 Rangers
- Apr 7, 2024: Scottish Premiership Rangers 3 v 3 Celtic
- May 11, 2024: Scottish Premiership Top Six Split Celtic 2 v 1 Rangers
- May 25, 2024: Scottish FA Cup Final Celtic 1 v 0 Rangers
- Sep 1, 2024: Scottish Premiership Celtic 3 v 0 Rangers
- Dec 15, 2024: Scottish League Cup Final Celtic 3 v 3 Rangers [Celtic win 5-4 on penalties]
It makes grim reading for the Rangers support but excellent viewing for the Celtic fans and long may that continue.
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