Rangers rallied from a goal down to secure a 2-1 victory over Motherwell, setting up an Old Firm League Cup final. However, the performance left many fans frustrated once more. The atmosphere among Rangers supporters, who have increasingly turned against manager Philippe Clement, soured significantly after former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday scored in the 25th minute at Hampden Park. The lackluster Ibrox side was met with loud boos at halftime.
The second half saw an improvement, with striker Cyriel Dessers equalizing in the 49th minute and attacker Nedim Bajrami netting the winner in the 81st minute, prompting cheers from the Rangers fans. They will face Celtic in the final at the national stadium on December 15. Celtic, along with Aberdeen, are nine points ahead of Rangers at the top of the Premiership, having demonstrated their dominance with a 6-0 thrashing of Aberdeen in the other semi-final on Saturday.
Rangers will need to reach new heights this season if they are to retain the trophy. Smoke from pyros and flares delayed the kick-off, similar to Saturday's semi-final, but once the game started, Rangers took control. Dessers missed an opportunity to send Bajrami clear on goal, and moments later, Cerny's shot was saved by Motherwell keeper Aston Oxborough, who had a solid game. In the 12th minute, Jefte played in Dessers, but his unconvincing shot from 16 yards went wide.
Motherwell capitalized on their first chance when Steve Seddon crossed from the left for Halliday to stab the ball past keeper Jack Butland, refusing to celebrate against his old team. A VAR check confirmed the goal. Rangers' response included a powerful drive from midfielder Connor Barron, which was pushed round the post by Oxborough, but the resulting corner came to nothing. An anti-board banner was displayed by the Union Bears, Rangers' ultras-style fans group, followed by boos.
Rangers' woes continued when Tom Lawrence suffered a knee injury and was replaced by Mohamed Diomande. His curling shot in the 41st minute was parried by Oxborough, but Dessers missed the target with the loose ball. Oxborough made another save from a John Souttar header just before halftime, with the Rangers players leaving the field to boos from their fans. Dessers soon redeemed himself after the restart, converting Barron's pass from six yards.
As Rangers increased the pressure, Jefte hit the post with a left-footed drive from the edge of the box, and captain James Tavernier missed a chance from six yards. Cerny had two attempts on goal thwarted by the increasingly busy Oxborough, but Rangers kept pushing. Nine minutes from time, Rangers broke with pace, and Cerny set up Bajrami, whose shot from a tight angle clipped defender Kofi Balmer and sped past Oxborough.
Cerny struck the post in added time before Barron headed over, but Motherwell looked beaten. Celtic, however, will present a much tougher challenge in the final.
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