Scottish Cup final 2011: Motherwell v Celtic - player ratings
Telegraph Sport runs the rule over Celtic and Motherwell's displays in the Scottish Cup final.
hoop dreams: Celtic celebrate their Scottish Cup success Photo: PA
By Ewing Grahame 4:09PM BST 22 May 2011
Comments
Celtic
Fraser Forster
The big goalkeeper could have taken a deckchair and a novel on to the field with him, so little did he have to do. 6
Mark Wilson
The full-back capped a fine second half to the season with a storming performance, culminating with the shot which ultimately led to Celtic’s second goal. 8
Glenn Loovens
Like Forster, the Dutchman was rarely called upon to show his worth, although he did well to recover from a nasty challenge from Lasley. 6
Daniel Majstorovic
The Swede has yet to convince that he is more solution to than cause of Celtic’s defensive problems. Fortunate not to be sent off for lunge from behind on Sutton and escaped a second caution for deliberate handball. 4
Emilio Izaguirre
As always, looked better going forward than he did defending but he had so little of the latter to do that he excelled. 7
Kris Commons
Failed to find his best form in a final for the second time in two months. Should have scored at least once can be content with his contribution since joining in January. 6
Scott Brown
Restored to the central role he has often struggled to fill, he was effective enough against Motherwell. Produced the pass of the match to release Commons, who fluffed the chance. 7
Ki Sung Yeung
The South Korean produced the best moment of the final with his sumptuous strike for the opening goal but, even without that, turned in an assured performance. 7
Charlie Mulgrew
Does seem better suited to a role in midfield rather than the back four, where his lack of pace and defensive instincts can be exposed. His free-kick for Celtic’s third rivalled Ki’s opener. 6
Georgios Samaras
Unbalances Celtic’s team due to his inability to link with strike partners or the midfield. He held the ball up for too long and rarely posed a goal threat. 4
Gary Hooper
Another player who was short of his best, although he was unfortunate to see a shot come back off the crossbar in the second minute. 6
Subs: The arrival of Anthony Stokes, James Forrest and Paddy McCourt did little to alter the course of the match. 5
Neil Lennon: The Celtic manager, unaware of the pre-match vote of confidence proffered by major shareholder Dermot Desmond, approached the final in a positive manner and reaped the reward. 7
Motherwell
Darren Randolph
Arguably Motherwell’s most consistent performer this year, the Irishman commanded his penalty area and was blameless at all three goals. 7
Tom Hateley
Injury to Maurice Ross saw the midfielder become an auxiliary right-back. He acquitted himself reasonably well in that role but was unable to put his shooting ability to good use. 6
Stephen Craigan
Astonishingly, he failed to receive a caution for handball on the edge of the penalty area, was later booked for a foul on Stokes and, incredibly, escaped a red card for chopping down Hooper. 3
Shaun Hutchinson
The pick of Motherwell’s defenders. The 20-year-old stuck manfully to his task and made some telling interceptions to keep his side in it. 7
Steven Hammell
The full-back put in a solid shift on the left flank, supporting his forwards whenever possible before becoming the first Motherwell player to be replaced. 6
Chris Humphrey
A winger who recently opted to represent Jamaica rather than Scotland, he was a peripheral figure in every sense, unable to get the better of Mulgrew and Izaguirre. 5
Steve Jennings
Spent most of the match kicking for touch, seemingly unable to keep the ball on the park. One decent defensive block apart, this was an afternoon to forget. 4
Keith Lasley
More leg-breaker than playmaker, he was lucky to remain on the field after his 15th-minute studs-up challenge on Loovens. Several later tackles might have produced a second yellow card, too. 4
Gavin Gunning
Came closest to shocking Celtic with a magnificent 30-yard drive which came back off the underside of the bar. Otherwise solid but unspectacular. 6
Jamie Murphy
Much was expected of the Scotland Under-21 forward but, like too many of his team-mates, he’s still waiting for the game to start. 4
John Sutton
Impossible to criticise the striker because he received next to nothing in the way of service or support and so never looked like scoring. 5
Subs: Franny Jeffers and Steven Jones brought nothing to the party and never looked like salvaging extra-time. 5
Stuart McCall: Took too long before making changes in personnel in a formation more concerned with damage limitation than inflicting damage. 4
Referee: Calum Murray produced as inept a performance as has been seen in a major final. He got most of the major decisions wrong and his only consolation was that he didn’t affect the outcome. 1
celtic player, hoop dreams, rsquo, cup success, scottish cup, deckchair, motherwell, free kick, dutchman, midfield, goalkeeper, forster, swede, lunge, south korean, ewing, instincts, bst, handball, second time
No comments:
Post a Comment