Celtic secured their first trophy of the season as they won the Scottish League Cup final against Aberdeen.
Craig Gordon has explained that he felt compelled to berate his Celtic teammates even when they were 3-0 up and cruising during the Scottish League Cup final, according to the Evening Times.
Brendan Rodgers’ men were out of sight within 65 minutes at Hampden Park as Tom Rogic, James Forrest and Moussa Dembele each played a part in dashing Aberdeen’s hopes of denying the Hoops the 100th major trophy in their history.
With that kind of lead, it would hardly have been a surprise had the Bhoys taken their foot somewhat off the pedal. But Gordon insisted that they still had something to fight for, even when the trophy was already virtually won.
“We went through the entire campaign without losing a goal when we won the League Cup two seasons ago and now we’ve repeated the feat,” he said, as reported by the Evening Times.
“It’s very good to win any game and have a clean sheet but to do it in a cup final is very special. I’d have been gutted if we’d lost one late on and I was having a go at the guys in front of me to ensure that they kept their concentration and saw out the game.
“You can get complacent and make a slack pass that costs you a goal but there was only really one long-range shot towards the end to deal with.”
While it would not have made a massive difference to most if the Dons had managed to bag a late consolation, it will arguably be extremely encouraging for Celtic fans to hear their goalkeeper’s comments.
His desire to keep a clean sheet highlights how determined the squad are to achieve perfection. And with a number of clubs threatening to be their nearest challengers in the Scottish Premiership, that ability to remain ruthless will surely send a message that Rodgers’ side are on a completely different level to any other team in the domestic game.
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