Celtic Add to Rangers Woes

Celtic added to the woes of administration-hit Rangers with a superb 3-0 win over their Old Firm rivals in their final meeting of the season.

Goals from defender Charlie Mulgrew and midfielder Kris Commons, his first of the season, gave the rampant champions a commanding interval lead at Parkhead.

Striker Gary Hooper scored with a thumping drive soon after the break and it looked for a spell as if the home side were going to hand out a real hammering to the Govan men.

However, three goals were enough for the celebrating Celtic fans who can brag of a 21-point lead over their old rivals, an indication of their superiority this season, even in light of the 10 points Rangers were deducted in February for entering administration.

Celtic showed the strength of their squad by bringing back five of their star players.

Goalkeeper Fraser Forster, right-back Adam Matthews, stopper Glenn Loovens, skipper Scott Brown and striker Georgios Samaras all returned for the last Glasgow derby of the season. Out went Thomas Rogne, Ki Sung-yueng, Pawel Brozek, Lukasz Zaluska and Cha Du-ri, the latter two starting on the bench along with 18-year-old striker Tony Watt, who scored two goals on his debut at Motherwell last week.

Gers boss Ally McCoist named the same side which beat Hearts last week with Lee McCulloch leading the line.

It was a peculiar build-up to the game due to Celtic having wrapped up the title last month and the problems of the Ibrox club who are fighting for their very survival, amid a seemingly endless search to find a buyer.

But as Hoops boss Neil Lennon took his seat in the stand - he was serving the second of a two-match touchline ban for criticising referee Willie Collum following the Scottish Communities League Cup final defeat to Kilmarnock in March - the fans were in full voice.

Rangers looked decent enough in the early stages and in the 16th minute they missed a good chance when midfielder Rhys McCabe robbed Brown in the middle of the park with a crunching tackle.

He fed Steven Whittaker who in turned played in Andrew Little but the Gers striker failed to connect properly with his angled-shot from 14 yards and Forster saved comfortably.

A minute later Celtic were ahead through Mulgrew with their first corner of the match.

Commons' cross from the right missed the mass of bodies in the middle to find the unmarked Celtic defender rushing in to bullet a header past Allan McGregor.

The Ibrox defence had to hold firm as the home side went looking for the second, trying to stretch Rangers down the flanks through Emilio Izaguirre and Matthews.

However, their task became even more difficult just after the half-hour mark when Celtic went two ahead through Commons.

Brown's pass to Hooper was quickly moved infield to the Scotland international who took advantage of Rangers defender Kyle Bartley's missed tackle to go through on goal and delightfully chip the ball over the advancing McGregor.

The Ibrox side looked close to unravelling amid the din from the home fans. Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley got on the end of a Commons cross to head wide of the back post before McGregor made a great save from Hoops defender Victor Wanyama, whose drive from the edge of the box looked goalbound and it was a bedraggled looking Rangers who welcomed the half-time whistle.

Damage limitation may have been theme of McCoist's half-time team talk and certainly the early stages of the second half did little to suggest a comeback was on the cards.

Celtic were quicker and sharper, switching play from left to right with ease and no little confidence and in the 51st minute the tireless Izaguirre's lofted cross from the left just avoided Hooper, two yards from goal.

A minute later Rangers had to thank McGregor for a brilliant save from Ledley's dipping volley from 20 yards, and the keeper made another block from Wanyama following the subsequent corner.

However, it merely delayed Celtic's third which came in the 53rd minute when Samaras played in Hooper and he hammered the ball high past the helpless Scotland number one.

As the Light Blues fans sang non-stop in defiance, certain in their side's defeat, Celtic took a breather but remained well in control.

In the 73rd minute Rangers substitute Salim Kerkar, on for Little, had half a chance when the ball broke kindly for him in a challenge with Wanyama but his chip from a tight angle sailed over.

Two minutes later Bartley, suffering a wretched afternoon, was booked for a foul on Izaguirre on the touchline which had the home fans on their feet in understandable anger.

With seven minutes remaining and the game petering out, Forster made a decent save from Sone Aluko's free-kick at the expense of a corner which came to nothing.

Brown picked up a yellow card for a foul on Kerkar near the end but that did not detract from a convincing Celtic win.

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Beattie Breaks Celtic Hearts

Craig Beattie scored a dramatic late penalty as Hearts dumped Celtic out of the Scottish Cup semi-final with a 2-1 Hampden Park win.

Hearts will play Hibernian in the final for the first time since 1896 after substitute Craig Beattie's last-minute spot-kick earned a shock win over his former side Celtic.

One of the most remarkable afternoons in the history of the competition began in earnest a minute after the break when Rudi Skacel raced on to a pass from Beattie, who had replaced Scott Robinson at the interval, to fire Hearts into the lead.

Four minutes from time Celtic striker Gary Hooper headed in a Charlie Mulgrew cross and it looked like the game was heading towards extra-time.

However, with seconds of normal time remaining referee Euan Norris pointed to the spot when a shot from Tynecastle skipper Marius Zaliukas hit the arm of Hoops midfielder Joe Ledley and Beattie scored from the spot to send the travelling Jambos fans into ecstasy.

Hoops boss Neil Lennon was clearly unhappy at the penalty decision but will perhaps be more annoyed that his SPL champions will miss out on the chance of a double.

Edinburgh football fans, though, will look forward to a day out in Glasgow on May 19.

Lennon made one change to his side, bringing in Sweden right-back Mikael Lustig for Adam Matthews, who had a mouth infection.

The Tynecastle side showed two changes, defender Andy Webster and striker Stephen Elliott in for the injured Jamie Hamill and Gary Glen, who dropped out altogether.

The Tynecastle side had a great chance after just 30 seconds when Celtic defender Kelvin Wilson underhit a back-pass which let Elliott in, but his shot from a tight angle was blocked by Hoops goalkeeper Fraser Forster for a corner.

Hearts had six players in their starting line-up who were one booking away from missing the final but showed no signs of holding back and there were some hefty challenges in the early stages.

There was another moment of slackness from the Celtic defence in the ninth minute when defender Mulgrew was robbed by Jambos midfielder Ian Black, who raced into the box but his pass failed to find Elliott.

Lustig headed a Kris Commons free-kick over the bar from six yards out five minutes later, before a fine Mulgrew cross into the box evaded Georgios Samaras, but the game was taking its time to come to the boil.

In the 21st minute Black was lucky to escape with only a booking after a challenge on Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley, in an incident which saw Mulgrew also booked. Black was also penalised for a handball but Norris resisted the temptation to produce a second yellow card.

Hooper headed wide from a Mulgrew cross, and Webster caused panic when he was short with a return pass to Hearts goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald which allowed Commons in, but the Scotland midfielder's touch was too heavy as he was forced to go around MacDonald and the opportunity was lost.

The best chance of the first half came for the dominant Hoops in the final minute but Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-yueng hit the post with a header from Lustig's cross when it looked as if he must score.

Beattie replaced Robinson for the start of the second half and the move paid off after just a minute when the big striker helped Skacel fire Hearts ahead.

After taking a pass from Black 30 yards out, Beattie quickly released Skacel into the box and he rounded Forster before slamming the ball into the roof of the net.

Stunned Celtic immediately stepped up the tempo and moments later Ki fired over from the edge of the box with a drive which signalled a period of intense Hoops pressure.

However, Hearts were a threat on the counter. In the 54th minute Skacel fired in a drive from 30 yards which Forster was glad to push round the post for a corner, and moments later the Czech tried his luck from the edge of the box but this time his effort trundled wide.

Anthony Stokes replaced the ineffective Samaras on the hour mark as Lennon tried plan B but in another Hearts counter-attack Beattie fired wide from 20 yards.

Ki hit the post again with a header from Commons' free-kick in the 81st minute, before skipper Scott Brown made way for Dylan McGeouch.

MacDonald produced a fingertip save to stop Commons' free-kick going under the bar before making a great save from Mulgrew's header with the rebound coming off Stokes' thigh and away from danger.

But in the 86th minute Celtic eventually got through when Hooper headed in Mulgrew's cross from four yards out and extra-time looked likely.

However, Beattie became the Hearts hero with his spot-kick, although there was still time for Celtic to be denied a penalty when the ball appeared to come off the arm of Webster as Hearts defended for their lives.

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