Celtic

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James Forrest said it's "a pleasure" to represent Celtic through such a golden era in their history after he moved level with Bobby Lennox as their most decorated player of all time.

Forrest has now won 25 major honours with the Hoops since making his debut in 2010 and will move out on his own if he wins one more trophy for his boyhood club.

The Scotland international stressed that his achievements in green and white were testament to the sustained period of dominance they have enjoyed within Scottish football under the likes of Neil Lennon, Ronny Deila, Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers.

"I think that's just a kind of bonus," Forrest said of moving alongside Lennox, who won his 25 trophies in the 1960s and 70s.

"I've said before, I've been a part of different eras, different teams in Celtic over the years and it's been a pleasure.

"And I think if maybe I wasn't part of successful teams, I maybe wouldn't have been here (as long). I think it's a great credit to the teams I've been involved in and loads of people putting in great work over the years and I'm just delighted to be a part of that.

"It's great to be a part of this club on days like this. You see the fans at the end, all the players and staff together, it's unbelievable to be a part of. I've cherished every minute I've been here and hopefully there's more to come."

Forrest loved the dramatic nature of the victory but insisted it did not hold more significance than any other triumph of which he had been involved.

"To be honest, I just always think you can never really look back at any cup and go, 'oh, it didn't mean as much as another one'," he said.

"It's just like any other cup, you're playing a cup final for Celtic, so no matter if you're playing against your biggest rivals or someone else, the pressure is on the players and the demand is there from the fans as well.

"I think all the players and staff really came through and you've seen the way the fans were buzzing at the end, so it was a great day."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Kasper Schmeichel: Has been a steadfast figure between the sticks for Celtic. His huge save in the penalty shootout from Ridvan Yilmaz paved the path to the League Cup trophy.

Cameron Carter-Vickers: Celtic's leader at the back. In a day of carnage, calm assurance was in short supply but the American resonates authority and composure.

Nicolas Kuhn: There were flashes of quality from the German throughout. Truly caught fire in the moment he put Celtic 3-2 in front, which many assumed would be the winner.

Daezen Maeda: A phenomenal day for the Japanese international. Took his goal to make it 2-1 superbly well and made taking the decisive penalty in the shootout look easy. Incredible energy throughout as standard.

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Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said he was "at his calmest" when Sunday's Premier Sports Cup final headed to a penalty shoot-out.

"That was some experience," he told Premier Sports.

"An incredible atmosphere, two teams proper going for it. I'm just very glad it worked out well for us in the end.

"I know Jack [Butland] is a very confident guy, he's got incredible technique. If you can take penalties like that under pressure, fair play to him.

"That's when I feel at my calmest - that's what you practice for.

"You get to a certain stage in life where you don't know how many of those opportunities you have left and you've got to enjoy them. The most important thing is to give everything you've got and I'm glad it turned out the way it is.

"With Joe [Hart] being here for three years I watched these occasions quite a lot.

"Having played up here earlier in my career I was aware of what a club like this can produce. I'm very thankful and grateful to be given the opportunity to come here and contribute to this team."

We asked for your views on Celtic's win against Rangers in the Scottish league cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Peter: Not our best performance but still, it's trophy 119. A sign of a good team is digging out results when not playing well. Players gave everything. Great to see wee James Forrest get his 25th major title. What are the odds of him getting to 27 by May 2025? Onwards and upwards.

Steven: Celtic miles off the pace first half especially, defensive errors across the park. Rescued by our talented wingers Nicolas Kuhn and the ice-cold Daizen Maeda. Lots of lessons for Brendan Rodgers for the upcoming New Year trip across the city.

Michael: Cup final football, Celtic know how to stay calm and get the job over the line as they have dominated the Scottish game for the best part of 15 years. Rangers played well but don't have the winning mentality.

Stephen: In the first half Celtic were very poor, in the second half we only really played our real football for 15 minutes. The bottom line is, Celtic were nowhere near their best and still won

Michael: We didn't push them hard enough, too much playing backwards when we had the pace to get at them. Still, we'll take the win. Well done Celtic, a great win, showed great strength and determination.

Hugh: It was a compelling and entertaining game and one of the most competitive Old Firm finals ever. However, let's not get too carried away; Rangers played to their maximum potential and fell short, Celtic underperformed but again found a way to win. The next two transfer windows could determine who will be the dominant force for the next few years.

John: Cameron Carter-Vickers = player of the match. Four-vs-one? Not a problem. Tough game, Rangers are back playing better, they silenced Callum McGregor, and they silenced Kyogo but still can't silence Daizen Maeda.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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On a day of six goals, 11 bookings, 12 substitutions and 120 minutes of cup final bonkerdom, into penalties they went.

Chests were wheezing, legs cramping, hearts fluttering, rain falling. "Carnage, just carnage" as the Celtic defender Liam Scales said in the aftermath.

The tension, the drama, the lost-soul demeanour of Ridvan Yilmaz as he walked back to the halfway line having had his penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

The sight of Jack Butland, the Rangers goalkeeper, then having to score against Schmeichel to keep his team alive in the shoot-out, which he did.

Then the suspense as Daizen Maeda stood over that last kick, the big opportunity to finally put a gallant Rangers to sleep, which he took. Unerringly.

Maeda carries himself like a man who laughs in the face of pressure, who pokes a finger in the eye of stressful situations such as this. At no point did you really get a feeling that he was going to miss.

That's not being wise after the event. This was in real time. Maeda looked like he was in his element. He was oh so cool in the final seconds of a final that for big chunks reached epic proportions.

Read Tom English's piece in full here.

Rangers should "100%" have been awarded a penalty for Liam Scales' shirt pull on Vaclav Cerny in Sunday's Scottish League Cup final defeat by Celtic, according to former referee Bobby Madden. (Scottish Sun), external

Another former Scottish referee, Des Roache, says VAR Alan Muir broke protocol by not advising referee John Beaton to review the incident. (Daily Record), external

Kasper Schmeichel drew parallels with this Celtic side and the FA Cup-winning Leicester City team he played in, also managed by Brendan Rodgers. (Daily Record), external

Celtic were pushed to the absolute limit before extending their domestic dominance in a thrilling Scottish League Cup final derby against Rangers that was ultimately decided on penalties.

After six successful spot kicks in the shootout, Rangers' Ridvan Yilmaz's low effort was saved by Kasper Schmeichel and, although goalkeeper Jack Butland netted the holders' next kick, Daizen Maeda converted to seal the trophy for Celtic.

The triumph – after an epic 3-3 draw after extra time - extends Brendan Rodgers' record of never having lost at Hampden and leaves Ibrox counterpart Philippe Clement still searching for his first derby victory.

It also moves Celtic ahead of the silverware haul of their old rivals for the first time since the 1930's.

Celtic fans, were you at Hampden or following the action from home? Let us know your thoughts on your team's performance., external

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Former Aberdeen captain Willie Miller: "Celtic are the best team in Scotland and they've proved it once more.

"It was a good cup final for Rangers, if being defeated in a cup final can be a good thing.

"I think Phillipe Clement can rightly say that they played well and he can put forward a case to the fans that his players are beginning to respond to what he wants them to do.

"It was very, very close. It could've gone either way.

"I think Clement can be proud of the character and the fitness."

Former Rangers striker Billy Dodds: "Celtic found a way.

"Rangers brought so much to it, they ran them so close and pushed them all the way, but Celtic just have the mindset to hit five perfect penalties.

"They have the mindset of champions."

Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner: "Celtic were absolutely put to the test today, but they answered it."

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Nicolas Kuhn was central to Celtic's League Cup triumph.

His 87th-minute strike in the final meant the winger scored in every round of the competition.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It was a great spectacle for the neutral watching.

"You don't expect things to go all your way, we showed lots of heart, Rangers played well in the first half.

"Second half we came out and were better, get in front and then concede late on but then you have to show that heart, desire and calmness for the penalties.

"I'm just so happy for everyone. It was one of those classic finals.

"A Celtic v Rangers final is different. We had to dig deep, we had to grind, they had spells, we had spells but it's important you come out a winner. That's what finals are all about.

"It was a case of reinforcing that we were poor in our ball possession, we were missing passes.

"It was just a case of focusing on what we're good at. It was a case of getting in front.

"Extra-time is really all about who wants it most."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Winning is a habit and Celtic maintained that by the thinnest of margins.

Rodgers' side came into this utterly dominant domestically and, for many in their support, there would be only one outcome here.

The idea this would be a formality quickly evaporated, though. More so after they fell behind.

It became a slug-fest in which will to win may have been the most important characteristic. Celtic have that, to go with their ability.

Big players win big matches and Celtic have an abundance of them, too. Maeda has tormented Rangers in the past but his influence was muted until his big moment.

Kuhn seized on his as well and must have thought he'd delivered the ultimate landmark moment in a season littered with them. Not today.

Celtic were pushed and pushed and pushed. They were never allowed to settle into their rhythm. Too often they were hurried into errors and that cost them the opener.

Fortune favoured them with Taylor's deflected leveller but champions take charge and that's what Celtic did when Rangers were rocked.

They found a way and that's all that matters. Far, far from their best, but they got the job done to inflict more anguish on their old foes.

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Celtic captain Callum McGregor tells Premier Sports: "We played nowhere near the level [we should].

"It's a cup final and there's nerves that play a part but we didn't really start playing until 10-15 minutes into the second half.

"It was one of those cup ties where anything could happen.

"Credit to the players they showed so much quality under immense pressure.

"[I feel] unbelievable pride. It was a tough game, relieved to come through it.

"When you come here it's about winning, when you're playing against your biggest rivals the pressure is much bigger."

Sportscene's Steven Thompson, James McFadden and Neil McCann preview Sunday's Premier Sports Cup final between Celtic and holders Rangers.

Adam Idah, 23, is ready to make an impact as a Celtic substitute against Rangers again if not selected from the start, having scored May's Scottish Cup final winner off the bench. (Sun), external

Celtic's Idah says he wanted to come off 10 minutes into his first meeting with Rangers as he "couldn't breathe". (Record), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

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• Current holders Rangers have won the League Cup a record 28 times; Celtic are the next most successful with 21 wins.

• This weekend will be the 17th Old Firm final in the League Cup. Rangers edge the head-to-head with nine wins to Celtic's seven, although the Parkhead side triumphed 2-1 in the most recent meeting (2022-23).

• Celtic have beaten Hibs, Falkirk and Aberdeen on their route to this season's final, scoring 14 goals and conceding three.

• Rangers have netted seven goals and conceded one on their path to the final, defeating St Johnstone, Dundee and Motherwell.

• Daizen Maeda (five goals) is Celtic's top scorer in the competition this season; Cyriel Dessers tops the Rangers goal charts with four.

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Celtic captain Callum McGregor says there is "a little more" to play for in Sunday's League Cup final as it is the one trophy that "slipped away" last season.

Rangers beat Aberdeen 1-0 in last season's final, with Celtic knocked out in the last 16 by Kilmarnock.

Brendan Rodgers' side are unbeaten domestically this campaign and will be favourites to beat a Rangers side they lead by 11 points in the Premiership.

For McGregor though, the full focus is on making it another happy Hampden outing.

"Of course, the ones that slip away from you are the ones that you remember," said McGregor.

"Every tournament that we play in, we want to win it, we want to do the best we can and obviously this is the first one that's up for grabs, so our approach doesn't change.

"Maybe a little bit more because we didn't win it last year, but the expectation is to win and the players know that. We have to give everything we can to make sure it's a positive afternoon.

"First one of the season is always big, can set your season up as well.

"We know how big a game it is, the players know, they understand what the expectation is. We have to do everything possible to make sure we win the game."

Celtic's three-year extension to their arrangement with shirt sponsor Dafabet will stretch the relationship to 12 years - the longest in the club's history. (Glasgow Times), external

Internacional remain eager to formalise 24-year-old let-back Alexandro Bernabei's loan from Celtic into a permanent deal. (National - subscription), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip