Paulo Bernardo clamps Rangers penalty claim as star highlights why Celtic ‘deserved’ cup glory

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Controversy in the aftermath of a Glasgow Derby is nothing new to Celtic and contention is once again in the air after the Bhoys’ Premier Sports Cup final victory over Rangers.

In a six-goal thriller full of drama at Hampden, the Bhoys eventually claimed cup glory in a penalty shootout courtesy of Daizen Maeda’s decisive stop-kick.

On one side of Glasgow, the reaction to Celtic’s win over Rangers has been joyous. For the other half of the city, there has been much debate surrounding one particular incident that unfolded.

Liam Scales’ tug on Vaclav Cerny has stirred controversy, with irate supporters on the losing side claiming that the offence happened inside the box.

News has since come to light that Alan Muir and Frank Connor were stood down from officiating in Scottish Premiership fixtures this weekend.

Fallout brewing after an intense derby is nothing new. However, there are two sides to every story, and Celtic star Paulo Bernardo has made it clear what he thinks of the key talking point.

Paulo Bernardo responds to Rangers’ penalty claim fallout

Speaking at the Celtic FC Foundation’s Christmas Party, Bernardo made it clear he is paying little attention to what may or may not have been on Sunday and has instead highlighted why Celtic ‘deserved’ to win the Premier Sports Cup.

He stated: “We don’t focus on that decision. We just move forward now. We won the trophy after a very good game, and that’s all we think about. It was a difficult game on Sunday.

“Both teams played well and it was a good game for supporters to watch. But we had almost 70 per cent of the ball and I think we deserved to win the cup.

“In the final moments, we had the quality to win the game and the players did so well in the shootout. When it came to the big pressure moments, we delivered. Our objective was to win the trophy and we managed to do that.”

Celtic will let others dissect cup final drama while they move on

On the face of it, there is not an awful lot you can expect the Celtic dressing room to say about one particular incident. They have just won the first available silverware of the season, which is far more important to them.

While the headlines hone in on other matters surrounding the game, the Bhoys move on safe in the knowledge that they were the ones to get their hands on the trophy.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	15	14	1	0	44	4	40	43
2	AberdeenAberdeen	16	10	4	2	30	18	12	34
3	RangersRangers	15	10	2	3	27	9	18	32
4	MotherwellMotherwell	16	8	1	7	22	26	-4	25

Looking ahead, the next challenge is to see off Dundee United this weekend at Tannadice, which is their final assignment before Christmas and last away day of 2024.

With Aberdeen and Rangers in action on Saturday, three points in the City of Discovery would be welcomed to ensure a healthy buffer is present at the top of the Scottish Premiership.