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Thursday, 8 February, 2001, 00:39 GMT
Celtic clinch stormy semi-final
Celtic 3-1 Rangers
Three players were sent off and referee Willie Young awarded two disputed penalties as the Old Firm semi-final boiled over into controversy.
But it was Celtic who emerged the victors to deservedly take their place in the final against Kilmarnock.
Celtic took command with goals from Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson after only 17 minutes.
Jorg Albertz brought Rangers back into the game shortly before the break from the spot.
But Larsson killed off the reigning league champions with another penalty in the second-half.
Rangers lost their discipline at that point and Claudio Reyna was sent off minutes from the end after being shown a second yellow card for a lunging tackle on Bobby Petta.
In the melee that followed, Celtic substitute Lubo Moravcik and Rangers replacement Michael Mols were both shown red cards and Celtic's Neil Lennon was lucky not to follow.
Rangers captain Barry Ferguson and winger Neil McCann had returned from suspension and midfielder Jorg Albertz was back in the squad after an ankle injury.
But Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Craig Moore, Lorenzo Amoruso, Billy Dodds, Sergio Porrini and Ronald de Boer all remained on the sidelines.
Belgian defender Joos Valgaeren was out injured for Celtic.
Jonathan Gould replaced the cup-tied Rab Douglas in goal, while Didier Agathe was also out having played for Hibernian earlier in the competition.
Celtic took the early initiative and took the lead after six minutes from an Alan Thompson free-kick.
Ramon Vega climbed above the Rangers defence to head against the crossbar after a touch from Stefan Klos's fingertips.
But Chris Sutton volleyed home from 10 yards.
Henrik Larsson put Celtic two ahead after 17 minutes and it was a disaster for Rangers' Robert Malcolm.
The 20-year-old defender was a surprise choice for his first Old Firm game and slipped going for a long ball into the Rangers box.
Larsson stole in to chip the ball over the advancing Klos.
Rangers rarely threatened but eventually back into the match after 36 minutes.
Scott Wilson collapsed inside the Celtic box as Vega and Sutton came in from behind.
It looked a soft award as the referee pointed to the spot and Albertz sent Gould the wrong way from the spot.
Reyna was booked for a late challenge on Celtic's Paul Lambert, who was then left hurt by another fair but powerful challenge from the American.
A Thompson free-kick again caused Rangers a problem and his cross found Vega eight yards out as the Swiss defender again evaded the marking of Tore Andre Flo.
But the Celtic man's downward header bounced off the Hampden turf and over the bar.
A clash of heads between Larsson and Wilson left the Rangers man with blood flowing from a head wound and the Celtic striker nursing a black eye.
Booked for protesting
It was a tangle between the two that settled the tie after 67 minutes.
The pair crashed to the ground as they chased a ball inside the Rangers box and referee Young pointed to the spot.
Klos was booked for protesting what looked like another dubious decision and was then sent the wrong way by Larsson from the spot.
Then came those unsavoury final moments that leave three players out of Sunday's league game between the sides.
Celtic: Gould, Boyd, Mjallby, Vega, McNamara, Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson, Larsson, Sutton.
Subs: Moravcik, Petta, Tebily, Johnson, Kharine.
Rangers: Klos, Malcolm, Wilson, Konterman, Tugay, Numan, Reyna, Ferguson, Albertz, Flo, McCann.
Subs: Ricksen, Mols, Miller, Johnston, Brown.
Referee: W Young.
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