Celtic beat Rangers on penalties to win the League Cup final at Hampden on Sunday.
It wasn’t the best of starts from Celtic as they were passive, slow and lacklustre on the ball in the first half, and it proved to be costly.
A Greg Taylor mistake eventually resulted in Nedim Bajrami scoring as Brendan Rodgers watched his players go into the break 1-0 behind.
Whatever was said at half-time worked because, by the hour mark, Daizen Maeda had put the Bhoys ahead with a clever run, touch and finish – all after Taylor’s deflected leveller.
But, once again, Celtic shot themselves in the foot and because Rangers were back level again, before the game tussled left and right up until extra time and penalties.
For the neutral, it might have been absorbing, breathtaking and proof why Celtic and Rangers is perhaps the greatest rivalry out there.
But, for those backing the Hoops, including club legend, Pat Bonner, it was full of mixed emotions.
Pat Bonner critical of Greg Taylor’s mistake as Rangers open scoring against Celtic
Taylor played 90 minutes before on-loan Barcelona star Alex Valle was introduced into the action for extra-time.
Yes, the Scotland international played a huge role in the equaliser, but some fans were calling for him to be hooked off at half-time.
Bonner certainly wasn’t impressed with Taylor ‘giving the ball away’ and how it simply ‘shouldn’t happen’, as he told BBC Sport.
“It’s Greg Taylor giving the ball away, that square pass,” said Bonner.
“Rangers have been really cute in the way that they’ve actually dealt with that, waiting for the pass across, putting the ball at risk across your midfield cannot happen, shouldn’t happen.
Arne Engels ‘bullied’ as Rangers equalise v Celtic in League Cup final
A lot has been made of Celtic’s squad depth and there was a huge debate as to who would start in midfield – Paulo Bernardo – who was the preferred choice – or big-money summer signing, Arne Engels.
The Belgium international wasn’t on the pitch for long before he was in Bonner’s bad books and the role he played in Mohamed Diomande’s goal.
Bonner stated that Engels got ‘bullied’ from a corner and offered another lifeline for the opposition, as he told BBC Sport.
“The ball’s just played in from the corner and it was Diomande, he’s just bullied Engels out of the way,” added Bonner.
“He’s got in front of him. Brilliant turn and finish past the goalkeeper but Engels has got to be in front of him there, don’t allow the player to get control.”
In the end, Engels, made amends by scoring in the shootout and lifting his first trophy as a Celtic player.
