Celtic won the 100th major trophy in their history and their first under Brendan Rodgers as goals from Tom Rogic, James Forrest and Moussa Dembélé sealed a comfortable win
7.35pm GMT
Related: Celtic brush Aberdeen aside and claim League Cup as 100th major trophy
4.58pm GMT
Celtic fans celebrate with their fans after a thoroughly deserved victory. Aberdeen showed plenty of endeavour, but rarely threatened Craig Gordon, and lacked the quality Celtic showed in taking the first-half goals that decided this final.
It’s a historic day for Celtic, as they take their trophy count into treble figures. More immediately, it’s their first under Brendan Rodgers, and with a healthy league lead, they have every chance of securing a different kind of treble later this season.
4.52pm GMT
Goals from Tom Rogic, James Forrest and a Moussa Dembélé penalty have earned Brendan Rodgers’ first trophy at Celtic, and the 100th major title in the club’s history.
#CenturyCelts pic.twitter.com/QaDHjldlxW
4.50pm GMT
91 mins: Celtic fans belt out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, scarves aloft. This one has been over since Dembélé slotted that penalty away.
4.49pm GMT
90 mins: Forrest, the game’s standout player is replaced by Griffiths, who looks miffed after waiting four minutes to come on. There’s only two minutes left.
4.49pm GMT
89 mins: Maddison, Aberdeen’s standout player today, curls a shot straight at Gordon as the Dons search for a consolation.
4.48pm GMT
More on Jayden Stockley, from Matt Loten:
“As a Portsmouth fan, I also got the chance to watch Stockley up close in the basement league last season. After a couple of goals in a dozen loan appearances, we surprisingly declined to take our interest further, deciding instead that pretty much anyone else on the planet would do as good a job.”
4.46pm GMT
87 mins: Leigh Griffiths is coming on, and will touch the trophy for longer than the ball.
4.45pm GMT
85 mins: Chris Sutton and Stewart are now disagreeing for the sake of it as the game winds down. Sutton certainly has the air of a man directing an angry customer to the small print.
4.43pm GMT
83 mins: Forrest finds space down the right and picks out Armstrong with a low cross. Armstrong fires wide – that should’ve been four.
4.42pm GMT
81 mins: Niall McGinn caught offside, leading to a lengthy commentary box row between Michael Stewart and Chris Sutton, the latter admonishing McGinn for mistiming his run. Derek Rae has to step in after a full minute of back and forth.
4.39pm GMT
79 mins: Adam Rooney’s afternoon is over. He’s replaced by Wes Burns.
4.39pm GMT
“I watched Jayden Stockley on a number of occasions at (the real) St James Park, whilst he was on loan with Exeter City towards the end of last season” says Robin Durie.
“He had a bit of potential, but, in truth, jobbing Division 4 striker seemed to be pretty much his level... or Scottish League Cup Final substitute. Which casts further light on where things stand with Scottish football. Sadly.”
4.36pm GMT
77 mins: Rogic, scorer of the opening goal, goes off to a huge ovation. He’s replaced by Callum McGregor.
4.35pm GMT
75 mins: Armstrong is given time to cut inside, twist and turn before firing over from the edge of the box. Aberdeen have repeatedly failed to close Celtic down in the final third, and are going to pay for it.
4.33pm GMT
74 mins: Stockley and McGinn have been unable to make any impact, with Celtic sitting deep to see this out. McGinn does get a low cross in, but it’s cleared with ease at the near post.
4.32pm GMT
72 mins: Maddison dances past Bitton, who tugs at his shirt and is booked. Replays show that the Aberdeen man went down a little enthusiastically, and his free kick sails straight into Craig Gordon’s arms.
4.29pm GMT
69 mins: Scott Brown is showboating in the middle of the park. For Aberdeen, Johnny Hayes is replaced by Niall McGinn.
4.28pm GMT
67 mins: Celtic fans light up their phones in tribute to the 1967 European Cup winning team. Aberdeen are doing nothing to spoil their celebratory mood.
4.26pm GMT
66 mins: The commentators reckon this will be Brendan Rodgers’ first trophy as a manager. Surely this picture says different?
4.24pm GMT
64 mins: Changes! Stockley is on for O’Connor a minute too late, while Nir Bitton replaces Patrick Roberts for Celtic.
4.23pm GMT
Moussa Dembélé, who has scored in the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-final, sends Lewis the wrong way to complete the set, and surely win the League Cup for Celtic.
4.22pm GMT
O’Connor, about to be replaced, is caught cold by Forrest cutting into the area to collect Rogic’s pass, and upends the Celtic midfielder. That’s stonewall, I’m afraid.
4.20pm GMT
60 mins: Armstrong overhits a through ball to Roberts, who pushes Logan over in pursuit of a lost cause. Aberdeen give the ball away in midfield, and Rogic hits a shot from distance that Lewis is right behind.
4.19pm GMT
59 mins: Izaguirre misjudges a high ball, allowing it to bounce through to O’Connor, whose attempted pull back floats over the bar. Jayden Stockley is set to come on for Aberdeen.
4.17pm GMT
58 mins: Forrest, who has been excellent alongside Rogic in midfield, is given space to step forward, and fires an angled shot just over the bar.
4.16pm GMT
57 mins: Aberdeen finding some joy with direct balls into the box, and Logan gets forward from right-back to collect Hayes’ cut-back – but Forrest does brilliantly to deflect his shot over the bar. From the corner, Maddison is offside.
4.15pm GMT
55 mins: In another curious bit of officiating, Aberdeen win a corner after McLean’s header. Maddison aims for the near post, Celtic head clear, and Brown is there to deal with Maddison’s low return ball.
4.13pm GMT
54 mins: Celtic again look to settle things down, draining Aberdeen’s momentum with a long spell of possession – until a foul on Izaguirre goes unpunished, Aberdeen break, and McLean heads wide from Hayes’ cross.
4.11pm GMT
52 mins: Rooney collects Shinnie’s ball down the left, and threads a dangerous low ball across goal. There’s nobody in a red shirt in the box, but Izaguirre nervously puts it behind. The corner almost falls to O’Connor, who is inches from connecting with a diving header.
4.09pm GMT
50 mins: Jack lifts a long free kick into the box, and Rooney can’t get a touch on Taylor’s useful flick-on. Lustig eases the pressure by winning a cheap free kick, going down in stages in front of McLean, who is penalised.
4.08pm GMT
49 mins: Maddison breaks away at speed and Brown does the necessary, body-checking his willowy opponent and earning an inevitable booking.
4.07pm GMT
47 mins: Aberdeen make a meal of dealing with a Celtic attack, with Roberts getting in behind and heading back towards Forrest, who prods the ball towards Dembélé, whose header from an angle is blocked by Lewis.
4.06pm GMT
Here’s Simon McMahon:
“Afternoon Niall. Of course, Dundee United would have beaten Aberdeen in the semi-final, and would now be giving Celtic a better game, had we not inexplicably lost to Morton in the last eight. We’d most likely have beaten Barcelona midweek too, given that our competitive record against them is played 4, won 4. Anyway, cocktails on me if this goes to extra time.”
4.05pm GMT
46 mins: Rogic is again given too much space in midfield, but his attempted pass to Dembélé is cut out by Taylor.
4.04pm GMT
We’re off. Both sides playing towards their own fans in the second half.
4.03pm GMT
The players are heading back out for the second half; no changes for either side. Aberdeen do have a few attacking options on the bench.
3.56pm GMT
Aberdeen learnt a hard lesson in that first half – you’ve got to track the runners:
3.48pm GMT
Two well-taken goals from Tom Rogic and James Forrest, and Celtic have a deserved lead; trophy No100 is 45 minutes away.
3.47pm GMT
44 mins: Hayes lifts a long free kick into the area, and Taylor uses his considerable frame to get above Scott Brown – but his flick-on is cleared.
3.44pm GMT
42 mins: A goal for Aberdeen here would give them a glimmer of hope for the second half. Maddison’s corner is met by O’Connor, but his looped header is claimed by Gordon.
3.44pm GMT
40 mins: Celtic fans are engaged in a mass ‘huddle’ behind the goal, making Hampden Park bounce. Their mood is only improved by Rooney’s wild effort from 20 yards, which flies into the stand.
3.41pm GMT
38 mins: Aberdeen, completely overrun in the lead-up to Forrest’s goal, win a corner, but Taylor has the ball taken away from him by a vital near-post touch from Dembélé.
3.40pm GMT
James Forrest is again allowed to run forward from central midfield, steps away from O’Connor and fires into the far corner from 20 yards! Expertly taken, and Celtic are in control.
3.39pm GMT
35 mins: Dembélé forces his way past Taylor down the byline, and goes to ground under Taylor’s challenge. No penalty, but Celtic are pushing forward relentlessly now, as Roberts fires just wide of the far post.
3.38pm GMT
34 mins: Patrick Roberts tests Considine’s pace, knocking the ball one way and haring past him the other – but the full back has just enough in the tank to recover.
3.36pm GMT
33 mins: Celtic beginning to squeeze Aberdeen higher up the pitch, Dembélé given time to line up a shot, before Taylor and O’Connor collectively close him down.
3.35pm GMT
32 mins: Armstrong and Roberts play a one-two through the Aberdeen back four, but Armstrong is forced wide by the overhit return, and the move breaks down as Brown shoves his marker over. “I got the ball”, he tells the referee, convincing not even himself.
3.33pm GMT
30 mins: Seven of Celtic’s outfield players spent 90 minutes chasing Barcelona around on Wednesday, and there’s an understandable strategy to conserve their energy out there.
3.31pm GMT
28 mins: Celtic take their sweet time over the corner, with plenty coming up from the back, but Considine gets his head to it first and clears.
3.30pm GMT
26 mins: Celtic continue to slow the pace, before Forrest barrels infield from the left and sees his shot deflected behind.
3.28pm GMT
23 mins: The early ebb and flow has dissipated, with Celtic happy to sit back and let Aberdeen try and find a way through the midfield. They do break through Rogic, but his woeful pass to Dembélé kills the counter attack. Moments before, O’Connor is perhaps fortunate not to concede a free kick after cutting off Armstrong in midfield.
3.24pm GMT
21 mins: Maddison wins another free kick, befuddling Roberts on the halfway line, and then another, getting hauled down by Lustig. Celtic are struggling with his trickery in the early stages.
3.22pm GMT
19 mins: Dembélé, who has scored in every round for Celtic, bustles to the edge of the area, but holds the ball up rather than testing Lewis, and sees his attempted through ball intercepted.
3.21pm GMT
17 mins: Maddison wins a free kick on the left, and the delivery finds Considine unmarked – but his header is turned away by Gordon!
3.19pm GMT
Scott Brown was the architect, sliding in smartly in midfield to prod a diagonal pass to Rogic, out on the right. The Australian cut inside Shinnie, and curled a left-footed shot into the far corner! That goal came 22 seconds after Maddison’s shot at the other end.
3.18pm GMT
Maddison again finds space and sees his shot blocked by Sviatchenko, Celtic break... and Tom Rogic scores a beauty!
3.16pm GMT
13 mins: Maddison causes more problems for the Celtic defence, twisting through a tight gap and winning a dangerous free kick as Brown brings him down. McLean lines it up, 25 yards out and central, but fires his effort into the wall.
3.15pm GMT
12 mins: A first opening for Celtic, as Dembélé fires a header at Joe Lewis from Izaguirre’s cross. The keeper parries it back into danger – but Aberdeen clear, and Rogic fires over from distance.
3.14pm GMT
11 mins: McLean wins the ball neatly in midfield, and James Maddison nearly sets Rooney free with an inventive through ball down the left, but there’s just too much on it.
3.12pm GMT
10 mins: Celtic have had 87% possession so far.
3.11pm GMT
9 mins: Aberdeen press forward for the first time, with Hayes romping down the right – but Scott Brown races across and puts in a challenge in trademark fashion.
3.10pm GMT
7 mins: Rogic is sold short by Simunovic’s pass, and catches Aberdeen captain Ryan Jack with a high boot, giving away a free kick but escaping a booking.
3.09pm GMT
6 mins: Aberdeen are sitting deep, not wanting to give Celtic any early opportunities – but Roberts slides a through ball to Forrest, who slips under Logan’s challenge. Celtic fans appeal for a penalty, but Forrest fell over.
3.07pm GMT
3 mins: Considine is penalised after colliding with Mikael Lustig, as the fans exchange lusty chants from opposite ends of the stadium.
3.04pm GMT
2 mins: Celtic immediately get on the ball, Roberts almost skipping through the defence from the right after being picked out by Rogic.
3.02pm GMT
Referee John Beaton gets us under way. Aberdeen are in all red, Celtic in green and white hoops, as it should be.
2.58pm GMT
There’s an absolutely belting atmosphere inside Hampden Park – the Aberdeen fans are armed with red and silver flags, while Celtic’s supporters unveil a giant gold ‘100’ banner as the players emerge from the tunnel.
#BetfredCup #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/mwUj4DBdUi
2.50pm GMT
Here’s a bit more on Brendan Rodgers’ push for a February-November season in Scotland. Thoughts welcome...
We’re blessed in terms of what we have here compared to other teams but take a developing kid for example. The best months of the year he’s off. The season has finished and the posts get taken down and the grass doesn’t get cut. Now – in season – it’s just about keeping kids warm. You can’t coach them. At Liverpool, we turned things around because of this. If you are outside it’s tough. It was minus eight here this morning.
Having been here now and experienced it I would say that there is an argument to say a season which starts in February to November would work up here and there would be benefits for clubs. There would be financial benefits and benefits for coaching in the warmer months. Then, when you are midway through your season, you get the qualifiers. Astana had played 22 games by the time we faced them and that’s remarkable because we had played once.
2.46pm GMT
History
Victory today would give Celtic their 100th major trophy – they’ve won 47 leagues, 36 Scottish Cups, 15 League Cups and 1 European Cup. That’s not to mention the hatful of other pots they’ve snaffled, from 1938’s Empire Exhibition Trophy to their ongoing dominance of the Jock Stein Friendship Cup.
2.28pm GMT
Celtic make two changes from the team that lost to Barcelona in midweek, with Patrick Roberts and James Forrest replacing Scott Sinclair, who is out with a hamstring injury, and Callum McGregor. Aberdeen make one change, with James Maddison replacing Jayden Stockley.
2.15pm GMT
Aberdeen: Lewis; Logan, Considine, Taylor, O’Connor; Shinnie, Jack, McLean; Hayes, Maddison; Rooney.
Subs: Alexander, Reynolds, Pawlett, Burns, McGinn, Stockley, Storey.
2.10pm GMT
Teams!
Today's team to face Celtic in the #BetfredCupFinal! #StandFree #DonsLIVE pic.twitter.com/t9mL7F7OnD
Celtic team for the #BetfredCup Final vs @AberdeenFC. #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/aTNkTtIplT
1.44pm GMT
Hello. Brendan Rodgers only arrived in Scottish football six months ago, but he’s keen to revolutionise not just Celtic, but the entire league. Much of his pre-game patter has focused on revamping the Scottish calendar by moving to a summer season, rather than the task at hand today.
Celtic are ahead of the curve, with their season looking set in stone before Christmas. They are out of Europe already, eight points clear in the title race, and the League Cup’s new format means they can win a trophy before they start opening their aspirational advent calendars.
Continue reading...