The Scottish FA Cup fifth round replay between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park was an embarrassment for the Scottish game as both teams lost their cool. The match will not be remembered for football reasons (Celtic won 1-0) but for the clashes between the two sets of players.

The police branded the scenes at Celtic Park as ‘disgraceful’ and warned that matches between the two Glasgow rivals, including Sunday’s League Cup final at Hampden Park, could be played behind closed doors.

Three Rangers players were sent off by the referee who also issued 13 yellow cards. The security officers at the stadium arrested 34 fans and there were several touchline and tunnel confrontations during and after the match.

Rangers signed El-Hadji Diouf on loan from Blackburn before the January transfer deadline but they may be having second thoughts about the recruitment of the Senegalese striker after the mayhem.

Diouf’s behaviour in the Cup replay was described as disgraceful and he was dismissed after the final whistle. Madjid Bougherra and Steven Whittaker, both of Rangers, also saw red.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Rangers assistant coach Ally McCoist, who will replace Walter Smith as manager at the start of next season, were involved in an ugly confrontation at the final whistle.

This was not Lennon’s first aberration as the Celtic manager was handed a six-match ban for ‘excessive misconduct’ following an altercation with fourth official Steven McLean in an away defeat to Hearts last November.

His six-match ban was reduced on appeal. The FA’s Appeals Board changed their mind and issued a four-match ban, the last of which will be Sunday’s showdown against Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final.

The Celtic manager must also serve a separate four-match punishment following his clash with McCoist and the latter will serve a two-game touch-line ban since it was his first offence.

Back to the field of play, Sunday’s final at Hampden Park will decide the first domestic honour of the season in Scotland. Rangers are the holders after they beat St Mirren 1-0 in last season’s League Cup final.

On their way to the final, Celtic scored four times in the first half to trounce Aberdeen 4-1 in the first semi-final. Rangers had a far tougher passage as they battled past Motherwell 2-1 with Steven Naismith netting the winner with 15 minutes to go.

The Old Firm rivals have conquered 12 of the last 14 competitions in Scotland, Rangers winning seven to their rivals’ five. This will be the first League Cup final between these two clubs since 2009.

The League Cup has lost much of its prestige as the winner no longer gains a berth in the Europa League.

Overall winners’ list

In the all-time winners’ list of the League Cup, now in its 67th season, Rangers lead with 26 honours. Celtic are second with 14 triumphs.

Celtic lead Rangers 16-15 in head-to-head matches but the Blues hold the upperhand in finals between the two rivals as table on left denotes.

Rangers-Celtic finals

19-10-1957: Celtic-Rangers - 7-1 - 82,293 (att.) (Mochan 2, McPhail 3, Wilson, Fernie pen – Simpson)
24-10-1964: Rangers-Celtic - 2-1 - 91,000 (Forrest 2 – Johnstone)
23-10-1965: Celtic-Rangers - 2-1 - 107,609 (Hughes 2 pens – Young og)
29-10-1966: Celtic-Rangers - 1-0 - 94,532 (Lennox)
24-10-1970: Rangers-Celtic - 1-0 - 106,263 (Johnstone D.)
25-10-1975: Rangers-Celtic - 1-0 - 58,806 (MacDonald)
18-03-1978: Rangers-Celtic - 2-1 - 60,168 (Cooper, Smith – Edvaldsson)
04-12-1982: Celtic-Rangers - 2-1 - 55,372 (Nicholas, MacLeod – Bett)
25-03-1984: Rangers-Celtic - 3-2 aet - 66,369 (McCoist 3, 2 pens – McClair, Reid pen)
26-10-1986: Rangers-Celtic - 2-1 - 74,219 (Durrant, Cooper pen – McClair)
28-10-1991: Rangers-Celtic - 2-1 aet - 62,817 (Walters, Gough – Elliott)
16-03-2003: Rangers-Celtic - 2-1 - 52,500 (Caniggia, Lovenkrands – Larsson)
15-03-2009: Celtic-Rangers - 2-0 aet - 51,193 (O’Dea, McGeady)

Note: All finals have been played at Hampden Park.

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