Motherwell 0-3 Celtic | Scottish Cup final match report (original) (raw)

Neil Lennon had played down the notion that success or failure in the Scottish Cup final would have a heavy impact on the level of faith bestowed on him by the Celtic board.

There is no question, though, that the significance of Celtic's first trophy since 2009 will not be lost on their manager. Lennon's obvious improvement of the team he inherited from Tony Mowbray was a league points tally of 92, which still proved insufficient to claim the title.

It was the Scottish Cup that offered Celtic and their manager tangible reward for progress. The iconic images from the 2010-11 campaign north of the border will be unpleasant ones, but the sight of Lennon holding silverware will be the last. Before kick-off, that was all the 39-year-old had hoped for.

A goal worthy of any cup final, from Ki Sung-yueng, set Celtic on course for victory. Their second goal was less pleasing on the eye, with the Motherwell captain, Stephen Craigan, crucially deflecting a Mark Wilson shot beyond his own goalkeeper. Charlie Mulgrew merely added gloss to Lennon's afternoon with two minutes to play.

This was a slow burner of a final. At times during an untidy first half it seemed unlikely that 22 players would remain on the field. Matters improved markedly after the interval, with Motherwell far from outplayed.

Celtic were never fluent, which is credit to the opposition rather than an indicator of sluggishness from Lennon's men. The key Motherwell regret will be that their talented young striker Jamie Murphy was not afforded the kind of service upon which he thrives.

Pouring rain at Hampden Park provided an appropriate metaphor for the conclusion of a dark Scottish season. In 1991, Motherwell claimed the Scottish Cup after defeating Dundee United in one of the competition's most memorable finals. Twenty years on, and given the ugly backdrop to this game, anything vaguely resembling entertainment would have been welcome.

Motherwell's key objective was the same as any team facing either half of the Old Firm on such an occasion, namely not to concede an early goal.

The most notable acts in the first 15 minutes were wild tackles, which on another day could have resulted in red cards. Instead, the Celtic centre-half Daniel Majstorovic was booked for a lunge at John Sutton, with the Motherwell midfielder Keith Lasley similarly punished for his challenge on Glenn Loovens. In the latter case, Loovens was very fortunate that his opponent did not make a stronger connection.

There were four cautions dished out by the referee, Calum Murray, in the opening half-hour. Which painted a true picture of a scrappy game, played almost entirely in a segment of midfield.

It seemed fitting, then, that the opening goal came from distance. Neither goalkeeper had been tested by the time Ki lashed his team in front from 25 yards, Darren Randolph diving but unable to get a hand to the Korean's terrific drive.

Ki's left-foot strike was almost bettered before the break. Gavin Gunning, the Motherwell full-back, rattled the upright with an angled shot from distance. Had Gunning's effort been a few inches lower, it would have given a reasonable reflection to an even first half.

Clemency from Murray followed, with Majstorovic lucky to escape a second booking when conceding a free-kick because of handball. Even more bizarre was the referee's refusal to award Celtic a free-kick 19 yards from the Motherwell goal as Craigan clawed the ball away with his hand when lying on the ground.

Match officials in Scotland have a legitimate grievance over the intensity of abuse and scrutiny they receive, but routinely their performance levels do not help matters. Still, criticism towards the referee from players would have been a tad rich. So many of them had failed to carry out the basic task of passing accurately during the early exchanges.

Motherwell were unlikely to lack second-half resolve. Their manager, Stuart McCall, battled through some grim times when in charge of Bradford City and was renowned for similar tenacity during a successful playing career.

Chris Humphrey volleyed a decent chance to restore parity straight into the arms of Fraser Forster with the second period more entertaining within 10 minutes than the first had been in 45. An excellent, timely intervention from Loovens followed with Sutton ready to head home at the back post.

Celtic's aspirations of closing out the game rested heavily upon their midfield. It was in that area that Motherwell demonstrated particular talent, Lasley and Steve Jennings particularly impressive in battling Ki and Scott Brown.

It took 65 minutes for Brown to make a positive impact on proceedings but he did so with a pass which sent Kris Commons through on goal. The midfielder, apparently in two minds over whether to shoot or play in Gary Hooper, watched his attempt thumped clear by Shaun Hutchinson.

The chance kick-started Celtic. Yet fortune played a part in the goal which all-but clinched the cup. Wilson's shot was not likely to cause Randolph a problem before Craigan's leg deflected it into the Motherwell goal.

Mulgrew, something of a set-play specialist, blasted in a third from a free-kick after Craigan upended Hooper. The afternoon belonged to Lennon, nonetheless, as the Celtic support were vociferously able to point out.