Rangers 0-1 Celtic: Full player ratings as Forster heroics help Bhoys to another Scottish League Cup

Celtic weathered the storm to beat Old Firm rivals Rangers 1-0 in the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday.  

Steven Gerrard’s men threw the kitchen sink at their Glasgow adversaries but were unable to find the back of net as Fraser Forster proved imperious between the sticks.

The Bhoys netted in the 60th minute courtesy of Christopher Jullien’s tap-in but were soon reduced to 10-men after Jeremie Frimpong saw red. However, Neil Lennon’s side held the fort at the back to clinch a 10th successive domestic trophy.

Here’s how the players rated at Hampden Park:

Rangers

Allan McGregor – 5 – A virtual spectator for large spells of the game, but unable to prevent Celtic from breaching his net with their only shot on target.

James Tavernier – 7 – An excellent outlet for Rangers, Tavernier was an ever-present in the final third, while his distribution was also superb.

Connor Goldson – 6 – Meanly locked the backline to stifle Morgan and reduce Celtic to just a few attacking opportunities. Aerially dominant as well.

Filip Helander – 6 – Worked well alongside Goldson to thwart Celtic’s attacking presence, but like his centre-back partner, will feel aggrieved that Jullien found ample room to break the deadlock.

Borna Barisic – 6 – The buccaneering left-back got stuck in and never shied away from surging forward and aiding his attacking teammates in the final third.

Glen Kamara – 6 – Put in a shift in the middle of the park and looked to dictate the tempo, but had Frimpong running rings round him at times and was lulled into a clumsy challenge which yielded a yellow card.

Ryan Jack – 7 – A warrior for Rangers, Jack put his body on the line, galloped forward in impressive strides and crunched into multiple challenges.

Joe Aribo – 5 – Showed a few fleeting moments of zest and his creative quality but just lacked that golden touch to really expose Forster’s net.

Scott Arfield – 6 – Arfield was industrious, tenacious and energetic, adding real energy and zip to the Rangers attack, though like his teammates, just not quite able to produce that one moment of brilliance.

Ryan Kent – 5 – Saw plenty of the ball, but took a while to get into the game, and didn’t quite produce the level of consistency needed out wide to really unsettled the Celtic full-backs.

Alfredo Morelos – 4 – He just can’t score against Celtic can he? The Colombian was everywhere, but his shooting boots very much eluded him at Hampden Park as he missed countless of golden opportunities, as well as a penalty.

Substitutes:

Jermain Defoe (for Kamara 71) – 4 – Didn’t really get a chance to consistently showcase his final third ability upon coming on.

Brandon Barker (for Aribo 74) – 5 – Tried to bring new life to Rangers but struggled to get up to the speed of the game.

Nikola Katic (for Helander 84) – N/A – Came on for the final five minutes.

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Celtic

Fraser Forster – 10 – Rangers absolutely peppered Celtic’s goal but Forster had an answer for everything thrown at him. He was impenetrable, even denying Morelos from the spot, and was the key performer for the Bhoys this afternoon.

Jeremie Frimpong – 3 – The teenager was having an excellent game but showed his naivety and inexperience as he got on the wrong side of Morelos before pulling him down and seeing red.

Christopher Jullien – 8 – This was not an easy game as Rangers dominated proceedings, but Jullien came up with some vital challenges and battled well aerially. And lets not forget his match-winning goal.

Kristoffer Ajer – 7 – Played with his heart on his sleeve and really got stuck into this contest. The towering Norwegian was up for this Old Firm derby from minute one and showed tremendous aggression across the contest.

Jonny Hayes – 6 – Attacked with venom and flair on the left byline, Hayes was a competent outlet on the wing for Celtic and put up a hearted battle with Aribo and Arfield.

Scott Brown – 5 – Showed plenty of grit and determination, but Rangers really dominated the middle of the park and Brown struggled at times to keep pace. Certainly demonstrated his leadership and got his shorts muddy, though.

Callum McGregor – 5 – Looked to spearhead attacking moves and get his side forward, which he was able to do at times, but again, Rangers really were on top in the central midfield battle.

James Forrest – 5 – Tried to make things happen but just lacked his usual zeal and end product. He was always a livrwwire on the wing but Celtic really struggled to create openings in this game.

Ryan Christie – 7 – Celtic’s best attacking player, Christie was elegant at times and showcased his innate dribbling ability, while also whipping in a inch-perfect delivery for Jullien’s goal.

Mohamed Elyounoussi – 5 – Another who tried to unlock doors and create that moment of magic, but the Southampton loanee failed to really demonstrate his fleet-footed exploits.

Lewis Morgan – 4 – Isolated up-top for the majority of this match, Morgan really didn’t look comfortable in the No. 9 position as the Rangers defence suffocated him.

Substitutes:

Mikey Johnston (for Elyounoussi 45) – 5 – Came on at half-time and showed flashes of quality, but really should have scored when put clean through on goal.

Odsonne Edouard (for Morgan 59) – 7 – The Frenchman made a significant difference when he came on, adding aggression and excellent link-up play upon his introduction.

Nir Bitton (for Forrest 66) – 5 – Substituted on to just add a bit of bite and renewed energy for the final portion of the game.