The Scottish Cup final at Hampden certainly wasn’t one for the neutral. It was a tense affair as Celtic and Rangers both poked and probed to find an edge in what was a really tightly contested affair.
For comparison, it was nothing like the incredible semi-final thatCeltic and Aberdeen put on where there were players from both sides who put in great performances in one of the best Scottish Cup ties in a generation.
However, the final was the complete opposite to that and it took an almost last-minute goal from Adam Idah to win the final and seal a double for Celtic in Brendan Rodgers’ first season back at the club.
But despite the cagey affair, it didn’t stop Aberdeen legend, Willie Miller, from pinpointing two Celtic players he thought were ‘brilliant’ in the Hampden win.
Willie Miller lauds ‘immense’ Scales and Carter-Vickers
Being a former defender himself, it’s no surprise that Miller identified the defenders as the best players on the pitch on Saturday.
And to be fair, it’s hard to argue with him. Cameron Carter-Vickers was his usual solid self and Liam Scales put in a great performance as a marauding centre-back at times throughout the game.
But Miller zeroed in on the Republic of Ireland international for some special praise for his Hampden performance.
Miller said [Scottish Football Podcast], “The goalkeepers didn’t have a lot to do. It wasn’t as if they were peppered with shots on goal.
“And you know what, I thought both defences played extremely well. I think Rangers’ back four defended well and I thought that Celtic’s two centre-backs were outstanding, Scales and Carter-Vickers.
“It’s the last game of the season, the sun’s beating down on you, you’re a bit drained and that’s more difficult, I think, for the more creative players to deal with.
“I think defenders can handle that better. And that’s why I thought that the top performers, certainly in the Celtic team, were the defenders.
“I thought of two central defenders were brilliant this afternoon.
“I thought Liam Scales was immense actually.”
Scales has been getting criticism for some of his outings in a Celtic jersey, particularly towards the end of the season.
But I thought he put in a solid performance for his manager on Saturday to help win the cup. He looked a lot more calm and assured and when he was on the ball he was excellent.
Scales made some mazy runs to try and open up a packed Rangers defence and he deserves singled out for his Celtic performance at Hampden.
Whether Scales will remain a Celtic starter next season is a question for Brendan Rodgers to answer but, right now, he deserves a lot of credit for his cup final performance.