The 6 key moments in Rangers' Scottish Cup victory over Celtic

Stephen Welsh misses from close range at a crucial juncture in the match. Picture: SNS

Where Sunday’s Scottish Cup match at Ibrox was won and lost.

1) The first moment comes before the match even got started. James Forrest’s back discomfort didn’t ease enough to allow the winger to take part in the match. The Scotland international was instrumental in Celtic thumping Livingston last weekend and his absence would have encouraged John Kennedy into returning to the 4-4-2 diamond after utilising a 4-2-3-1 last time out. The system worked well in the past two Old Firm meetings but didn’t quite reach those levels this time around.

2) Likewise, Kennedy’s decision to select Diego Laxalt over Greg Taylor ended up having a huge bearing on the match. Unlike the formation switch, this one made much less sense before kick-off. Taylor had been excellent against Livingston and has shown in 2021 that he’s a better option at left-back than the Uruguayan loanee. Laxalt was ineffective in attack, a crucial competent in the narrow system, while defensively he was exposed for the first two goals. He was hooked at the half but the damage had been done.