2021 Scottish League Cup final (December) explained

2021 Scottish League Cup final (December)
Event:	2021–22 Scottish League Cup
Team1:	Hibernian
Team1score:	1
Team2:	Celtic
Team2score:	2
Stadium:	Hampden Park
City:	Glasgow
Man Of The Match1a:	Kyogo Furuhashi
Referee:	John Beaton
Attendance:	48,540
Previous:	February 2021
Next:	February 2023

The 2021–22 Scottish League Cup final was an association football match that took place at Hampden Park, Glasgow on 19 December 2021.^[1] It was the final match of the 2021–22 Scottish League Cup, the 76th season of the Scottish League Cup (known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons), a competition for the 42 teams in the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Three-time winners Hibernian met then-19-time winners Celtic after winning their respective semi-finals; Hibs defeating reigning league champions Rangers and Celtic overcoming the League Cup and Scottish Cup holders St Johnstone.^{[2] [3]}

It was the 36th appearance in a League Cup final for Celtic and the 11th for Hibernian. It was also the fourth meeting of these clubs in a League Cup final, with Celtic having won in 1969 and 1974, and Hibs having won in 1972.

Match

Summary

Celtic largely controlled the first forty-five minutes, playing mostly within Hibernian's half with the majority of possession, however, failed to create chances that tested Matt Macey, bar a single shot on target by Greg Taylor.^[4] On a rare forward venture, Hibernian scored off a corner-kick with their first shot on target in the 51st minute, as their captain Paul Hanlon headered the ball just beyond the goal-line. Celtic responded directly from kick-off, with captain Callum McGregor providing a through ball to Kyogo Furuhashi who slotted it into the bottom left corner. The Japanese forward collected his second of the match in the 72nd minute with a composed chip over Macey after a quickly taken free-kick by Tom Rogic. This goal would prove to be the winner, along with a 96th-minute save from Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart, ensuring Celtic's 20th League Cup title.^[5]

Details

GK 1 Matt Macey RB 6 Paul McGinn CB 5 Ryan Porteous CB 4 Paul Hanlon (c) LB 16 Lewis Stevenson CM 11 Joe Newell CM 22 Jake Doyle-Hayes RW 10 Martin Boyle AM 32 Josh Campbell LW 18 Jamie Murphy FW 15 Kevin Nisbet Substitutes: GK 21 Kevin Dąbrowski DF 3 Josh Doig DF 24 Darren McGregor MF 8 Drey Wright MF 13 Alex Gogić MF 23 Scott Allan MF 27 Chris Cadden FW 9 Christian Doidge FW 25 James Scott Manager: David Gray

GK 15 Joe Hart RB 88 Josip Juranović CB 20 Cameron Carter-Vickers CB 4 Carl Starfelt LB 3 Greg Taylor DM 42 Callum McGregor (c) RM 11 Liel Abada CM 18 Tom Rogic CM 14 David Turnbull LM 19 Mikey Johnston FW 8 Kyogo Furuhashi Substitutes: GK 29 Scott Bain DF 5 Liam Scales DF 54 Adam Montgomery DF 56 Anthony Ralston DF 57 Stephen Welsh MF 6 Nir Bitton MF 16 James McCarthy MF 30 Liam Shaw FW 73 Owen Moffat Manager: Ange Postecoglou

Man of the Match: Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) Assistant referees Graeme Stewart Calum Spence Fourth official Greg Aitken

Match rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra time if necessary Penalty shoot-out if scores still level Nine named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time

Notes and References

1. Web site: Premier Sports Cup Fixtures . Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
2. Web site: Boyle's semi-final hat-trick stuns Rangers. BBC Sport. 21 November 2021. 22 November 2021 .
3. Web site: Forrest off bench to send Celtic to final. BBC Sport. 20 November 2021. 22 November 2021 .
4. Web site: Hibernian 1-2 Celtic: Kyogo Furuhashi wins Scottish League Cup final for Ange Postecoglou's Celtic. 19 December 2021. Sky Sports. 20 December 2021.
5. Web site: Kyogo Furuhashi’s brilliance hands Celtic League Cup final victory over Hibs. 19 December 2021. The Guardian. 20 December 2021.