celtic win to set up final with dundee united leigh griffiths and kris commons with first-half goals first old firm meeting since april 2012
celtic eased to victory over rangers at hampden to set up a league cup final with dundee united.
leigh griffiths nodded the premiership leaders in front on 10 minutes, with kris commons adding a powerful strike from 20 yards.
virgil van dijk and stefan johansen went close in a one-sided first half, with chances drying up after the break.
rangers were more determined in a dreary second half but failed to register a single shot on target.
old habits die hard. ıt may have been almost three years since the teams last met, but the routines of the old firm immediately fell back into place: the noise, the colour, the taunting, even songs and offensive terms that ought to have been left in the past.
all that was missing was a true sense of tension. celtic scored early, when griffiths slipped between two rangers defenders to meet johansen's cross with a solid header past steve simonsen from close range.
the striker's play was artful and deft, and it delivered a resounding blow to rangers.
rangers caretaker manager kenny mcdowall's game plan was clear enough: the defence sat deep and the five-man midfield dropped off as celtic carries the ball forward.
containment was their hope. celtic were more adventurous, although they never lost a grip on their composure or self-assurance.
at one stage, mikael lustig's hungry stride ate up the ground as he left lee wallace, normally so dynamic a figure, in his wake. ıt was a reflection, it seemed, on the greater intensity of celtic's play. even when rangers were dutiful, celtic could still benefit.
fraser aird broke up one attack only to pass the ball short, leading to anthony stokes shooting over. minutes later, nicky law slid to clear the ball from danger, but it rolled straight to commons, who lashed his effort into the top corner.
"always look on the bright side of life," the celtic fans sang. the opposition supporters were momentarily silenced, and might have been lost to wondering how many goals their side might concede.
there should have been a third, certainly, when van dijk clumsily headed a corner over from inside the six yard box. then only simonsen's flailing leg prevented johansen from slipping the ball past him.
rangers, whose players were wearing black armbands in memory of long-time ıbrox steward davie byers, lacked any cutting edge; even set-pieces were poorly delivered. there was more energy and threat from them in the second half, with mcdowall having replaced aird with jon daly.
even so, it took a sliding darren mcgregor challenge to block commons from shooting from close range. griffiths then curled a free-kick just wide.
for all that rangers remained lively, celtic were comfortable; goalkeeper craig gordon only has to watch a lee wallace chip drift over. ıt was, ultimately, the closest that the ıbrox side came.
there was still time for a couple of inevitable flare-ups, with players from both sides becoming embroiled in spats. they amounted to little, though. this was an old firm game in all but significant competitive tension.
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