Rangers 0-1 Celtic, Scottish League Cup semi-final

Moussa Dembele's 14th goal of the season took Celtic through to the final

Celtic will play Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup final after Moussa Dembele secured a late victory over Rangers in the Old Firm semi-final.

Brendan Rodgers' side had the better of the Hampden match with Scott Sinclair, Tom Rogic, Dembele and Stuart Armstrong drawing saves from Matt Gilks.

Erik Sviatchenko had a goal disallowed for Celtic and Sinclair's free-kick was touched on to the bar by Gilks.

But there was to be a winner, Dembele's heel converting Leigh Griffiths' cross.

Rangers, 5-1 losers at Celtic Park last month, were restricted to counter-attacks, the best of which ended with Jason Holt's shot being blocked well by Jozo Simunovic.

Celtic will return to Hampden to face the Dons on Sunday 27 November.

This captivating semi-final set off at a fair old lick and barely let up all day. It was altogether different to the one-sided encounter at Celtic Park, on the scoreboard at least. Celtic had a huge array of chances but were met with stiff Rangers resistance, most notably from their goalkeeper Gilks.

In the beginning there was controversy. When is there not in this fixture? In the 14th minute, Barrie McKay crashed to the floor in the box under a challenge from Simunovic. The Rangers fans screamed for a penalty. Craig Thomson, the referee, went the opposite way, booking McKay for a dive.

Some onlookers initially thought Thomson blew for a penalty rather than simluation

Dembele dived in the Rangers penalty area soon after and got away with it. Not that it needed it, but the intensity cranked up another notch in those moments.

Celtic had so many opportunities but they did not have the ruthlessness of before. They attacked off a Lee Wallace blunder and when Dembele put Sinclair through, Gilks denied him.

Gilks, in the team ahead of Wes Foderingham as per previous rounds of the competition, then almost gifted Celtic a goal when passing directly to Rogic. Had the Australian hit a shot first time he surely would have scored from such close range. Had he squared to a team-mate, it was a goal. Instead, he took a touch and got crowded out. A terrible waste.

In the early minutes of the second half, Sviatchenko headed home only for Thomson to rule it out for a foul on Clint Hill. It was another big call by the referee - and a harsh one. The foul on the defender was highly questionable.

Sviatchenko scored against Rangers in April and thought he had done so again only to be penalised

Rangers had their first shot on target in the 50th minute, a tame effort by James Tavernier, playing further forward on the right with Lee Hodson selected at right-back. Celtic drove on. Sinclair forced another save from Gilks after Rangers were sliced open in defence. Then, Rogic had a snapshot that went just wide.

One-way traffic, for sure, but what an almighty scare Rangers gave their rivals just before the hour when Holt had a point-blank shot blocked down by Simunovic. Either side of the big defender and Holt would surely have landed a sucker blow.

Celtic continued to pile on the pressure and create a mountain of chances. Dembele scuffed a shot from close in, then a Sinclair free-kick somehow stayed out, Gilks getting a touch on it and putting it on to the crossbar.

By now, Griffiths was on the field and Celtic were playing two up front. Stuart Armstrong was also on as Rodgers went for the Rangers jugular. It was Armstrong who had the next chance, seven minutes from time, but once again the quite brilliant Gilks kicked away his effort.

With three minutes left, it looked like extra time beckoned, but no. There was a dramatic last act. Celtic hoofed it out of defence and Wallace lost a physical tussle with Griffiths, who scampered away from him down the right.

He delivered his low cross with the outside of his left boot to Dembele running in at the near post. What Dembele did next was delicious - an improvised back-heel that beat the seemingly unbeatable Gilks. A wonderful goal that finally broke Rangers and sent Celtic into the final, giving Rodgers an early chance to claim the first trophy of his Celtic tenure.