Martin O’Neill won his first Old Firm game in charge of Celtic in over 20 years by beating 10-man Rangers 3-1 after extra-time to reach the Scottish League Cup final.Goals from Jonny Kenny, Callum McGregor and Callum Osmand inflicted defeat on Danny Röhl in his maiden derby, whose side had to play more than 80 minutes with one fewer player as Thelo Aasgaard was shown a straight red card in the first half.
O’Neill, who was appointed interim manager of the club on Monday after Brendan Rodgers’ shocking resignation, has won 17 out of 28 matches against Rangers.
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Celtic interim boss Martin O’Neill says he would ‘love’ the chance to take charge of December’s final
The cup holders return to the national Stadium on 14 December for the final against St Mirren. It was always going to have a very different story, as we never expected either manager to be present in the dugouts at the time of the draw.
O’Neill was more than twice his age in the opening period. Celtic were direct, exciting and unforgiving. They had all the characteristics of his greatest teams in the past.
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Celtic’s Anthony Ralston reacts to Rangers’ Thelo Asgaard’s red-card challenge
Nico Raskin’s comical ricochet off Nasser Djiga and into his own net led the reigning champs to believe they had scored after 19 minutes. VAR was able to save their blushes by detecting an offside.
Celtic took the lead after six minutes when Jonny Kenny headed the corner from Arne Engs at the frontpost.
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Johnny Kenny celebrates his goal that sent them past Rangers into the Scottish League Cup Final
Celtic were well in control and a Celtic comeback seemed unlikely until Thelo Asgaard received a straight-red card in the 39th minutes for kicking Anthony Ralston on the thigh.
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Thelo Aasgaard is shown a red for leaving the field.
Austin Trusty’s foot hit the head of Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland but VAR failed to intervene.
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Celtic’s Auston Trusty has been booked for a late kick on Jack Butland
Rangers came back for the second half refreshed and re-energized after switching from a five-man back to a four-man back. Celtic, as was expected, continued to be in control. However, they did not do so with the same fluency.
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James Tavernier celebrates Rangers’ equaliser
Röhl’s Rangers admirably dug in and took the game to extra-time, but that lasted just three minutes before Celtic were in the lead once more.Captain McGregor stepped up to batter one beyond Butland from distance before substitute Osmand turned in Kieran Tierney’s cross to net his first senior goal in the 109th minute.The year is 2025 and Martin O’Neill’s Celtic have beaten Rangers again.O’Neill: I feel 94 after that!
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Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill wins his 28th Old Team in charge
Martin O’Neill, interim Celtic manager, speaking to Premier Sports. “I was 73 Monday and I’m now 94!”I’m delighted to have won this game for a starter. I thought we played brilliantly 11 vs 11. Then we lost our impetus. Rangers had a good spell of 10 vs 11 when they actually controlled the game for a time. We had some good chances to win the match. If we would have taken them, maybe we could have.”I enjoyed it, whether you believe it or not. Kasper will sometimes take the time to give it to someone who is exhausted. It was an excellent effort, and I am delighted.”I will take no credit at all. There are a few young players that don’t know much about the game, but we have some winners who have won many times before. That’s important. The staff in the backroom were fantastic.”On Osmand”: “He’s very sharp. He is really good. He was really good.”As a center-forward, it’s important to keep the ball in your hands rather than constantly flicking the ball. He wants a couple DVDs featuring Henrik [Larsson]. He has a lot of confidence.”On whether or not he will be the one in charge of final: “I do not even know when it is. The club will be looking to hire someone during the fortnight-long break that ends next week.Ask me tomorrow if he enjoys his job. Today, no.Today, no.
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Callum Osmand, Celtic’s third-goal scorer, celebrates his goal
Callum Osmand of Celtic, who scored the winning goal in his first final with the club, said to Premier Sports: “It’s amazing. Today is beyond words. It will be the most crazy day of my entire life.There’s no way to top this, unless you score against them in the finale.This is my best day ever.”On O’Neill’s influence: “From the first day, he spoke to me directly and told me he thought highly of me. I get a boost from the staff when they think well of me.Martin gave me confidence after he took over. “Both managers were pushing, but Martin was the one who instilled that confidence. He has given me trust. All you need is a manager who will give you the trust. You only need one person to push you forward and believe in your abilities.”Hopefully, this is just the beginning for myself but obviously I have to keep building and pressing on.”Gers boss Röhl ‘liked spirit’ of his 10-man side
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Rangers head coach Danny Röhl was looking for positives despite their defeat to Celtic
Rangers head coach Danny Röhl speaking to Premier Sports:”Of course, we are disappointed today with this defeat. What I really liked about the match was the spirit that my team showed after the red-card. They fought hard, made a lot more effort and had a few good chances to equalise again.”There is a lot to do in terms of defense. We were disappointed that we didn’t win today, but will try to take some of the group’s spirit with me.”I changed at half time; I wanted more attacking player on, and played a 4-3-2 because I wanted to put pressure on the ball. With these defensive players and the high-line, I would get chances.”During the second-half, we had some good moments. Then in extra time, they ran a lot and that was what they did. They kept the ball in certain areas and sometimes it was tough.”On Aasgaard’s yellow: “I will need to take a closer look at it. I don’t think that’s my decision to make. I’m not sure yet if it was a red or a green card.”It is a long time to play a match with 10 men, especially if you have to go through 60 minutes and then extra time. We fought hard to score a well-deserved equaliser, and then they won by 3-1.”On character: I see a team who is willing to work hard, has great spirit and puts in everything. Since the last away fixture in Bergen [Brann]There’s been an enormous step forward. There’s no question mark.”I think it’s good to see that my players did what I asked of them. The basics are what we must do. I am convinced that we will get better results if we continue to follow this path.”What is next for the Old firm?
2025-11-02 15:03:00
