Motherwell vs Rangers - LIVE updates

The Fir Park boss admits he is gutted to have missed out on a first cup final with Motherwell in six and a half years.

He told BBC Scotland:

The overriding emotion is I'm disappointed. I'm gutted for the players and the supporters.

I thought we put ourselves in a really good position. For us to get better, there's going to have to be moments where there's better quality. It's not a criticism, it's my job to make sure we can tackle these games and have enough quality on the pitch.

There's not a great gulf between the clubs on the day. We know they are going to have lots of the ball, but one or two better decisions probably keeps that negative feeling when we're one ahead.

This doesn't derail our start to the season. I'm proud as punch because the players put it all out there.

Skipper Tavernier was hooked with the scores level at 1-1 going into the final 25 minutes but boss Clement says the change was due to the player feeling the effects from the recent run of games.

He told BBC Scotland:

It's giving extra energy from other players, the other changes also. We have every three days a game, so we have to divide powers between all the players.

Philippe Clement believes Rangers second half showing in their comeback victory against Motherwell shows fans that everyone has the fighting spirit to come out of their current rot.

They see that a team wants to fight. We know how many points we are behind in the league, so it's about giving our maximum every time with all the team together in the next weeks and months. I wanted to see a moment a moment where things go against you because that fightback menality is what I want to see all the time.

The Rangers captain and his goalkeeper were involved a heated spat during the first half as Rangers fell behind this evening, with some uncomfortable scenes playing out at the national stadium.

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Furious Butland and Tavernier embroiled in Rangers ding dong as suffering skipper's role called out on TV

JACK BUTLAND: The keeper was left furious as his backline buckled at Halliday’s opener. But he didn’t have much to worry about after the break as Gers dug out victory. 6

JAMES TAVERNIER: Started nervously with a string of loose passes and didn’t get much better. Was slow getting out to Seddon for the opener and ballooned huge chance to put Rangers ahead after the break. 4

JOHN SOUTTAR: Scotland defender is almost only man in the Ibrox dressing room who has been able to hold his head high of late. Another stoic display with a string of timely interventions. 7

LEON BALOGUN: The veteran stopper is 36 now but did well to drag his weary limbs round Hampden for 77 minutes before making way with cramp. Used his experience to good effect as he dealt with tricky frontman Tawanda Maswanhise. 7

JEFTE: Back after being benched at Pittodrie. God only knows where he was off to as Seddon swung over a back-post cross but it certainly wasn’t marking Halliday. Some big driving runs but final ball not up to scratch. 6

CONNOR BARRON: Former Aberdeen kid has had his critics this season but stood up when Gers needed him most, setting up Dessers to equalise. 7

NICO RASKIN: Results may not have shown it but Rangers have looked better with the Belgian battlers’ tenacity in midfield. Can still do more in possession but energy levels have helped Cement’s team. 6

TOM LAWRENCE: Limped off 10 minutes before the break but to be honest, he might not have lasted much longer given how little he’d impacted the first half. 4

VACLAV CERNY: Missed the Dons defeat through injury but burst back to have a major say on this semi-final with hand in both of Rangers’ goals. 8

NEDIM BAJRAMI: Dug Philippe Clement out of a huge hole as his winner relieved the pressure on his under-fire boss. First touch looked to have narrowed the angle but helpful nick took it past Oxoborough. 7

CYRIEL DESSERS: Got Rangers back in the game but only after passing up three big moments in the first period. Clement simply has to find a more reliable frontman if he’s to survive. 5

Subs

MOHAMED DIOMANDE (for Lawrence, 36): Gave Rangers some much-needed forward thrust after first-half introduction but fluffed last chance. 6

DANILO (for Dessers, 67): Looked sharp on his return from latest injury lay-off. 4

DUJON STERLING (for Tavernier, 67): Provided the steel Tavernier lacked. 3

NANA KASANWIRJO (for Balogun, 78): On to help Rangers secure their place in the final. 3

MOTHERWELL

ASTON OXBOROUGH 8

Survived early scare when failed to hold Cerny daisy cutter but produced stunning saves to tip Jefte piledriver onto woodwork and Cerny effort wide of post. No chance with goals.

MARVIN KALETA 6

Deployed at right wing back and emptied the tank to keep Bajrami quie before being subbed on 74 minutes. Got forward to support.

DAN CASEY 6

On right of back three and kept his cool as the balls flew into his area. Big block denied Bajrami midway through second half.

LIAM GORDON 6

Back in from suspension and defended box with aggression. Barked out orders as Well withstood waves of attack but went to ground to easy as Barron teed up Dessers equaliser.

KOFI BALMER 6

Booked for hauling back Cerny and had his hands full keeping the Czech in check. Wasted big chance for 2-0 with weak header and winning goal deflected in off his leg.

STEVE SEDDON 6

Perfect cross for opening goal and looked a threat out wide. Booked early in second half for challenge on Barron and hooked soon after.

EWAN WILSON 7

Finished last season on loan at Beth Juniors now lining up at Hampden. Never shirked a challenge as Motherwell gave as good as they got in midfield.

ANDY HALLIDAY 7

Veteran was restored for experience and came up with big moment as he stretched every limb to knock home opening goal against his old club.

LENNON MILLER 7

Handed captaincy at 18 and spent most of first half selflessly helping defend in front of his own box. Flashes of his genius on the ball.

TAWANDA MASWANHISE 6

Two goal hero from midweek is a major headache for defenders with his raw pace. Played part in opening goal. Subbed.

APOSTOLOS STAMATELOPOULOS 5

Aussie international spent majority of his time working back and was replaced by Zach Robinson on 63 minutes.

SUBS:

TOM SPARROW 3

On for Seddon after 56 minutes and went close to restoring lead.

JAIR TAVARES 2

On for Maswanhise but failed to affect game.

ZACK ROBINSON 3

Replaced Stamatelopoulos with 27 minutes to go but starved of service.

SHANE BLANEY 2

Replaced Kaleta with 16 minutes left to play.

Not used: Hegyi, Zdravkovski,Blaney, Koutrombis, Watt, Ebiye

Well, we weren't short of a talking point or five from this one and you can read all about them, right here.

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Rangers escape mutiny as Bajrami and Cerny book a date with destiny against Celtic – 5 talking points

Jack Butland and Vaclav Cerny spoke to Premier Sports in the aftermath of this mammoth semi-final and they were glad to get over the line after a comeback victory.

Butland: That's what this club is about, it's about the result. Performance-wise, [there are] things to improve, we know that we have to set those standards to improve, and keep getting better. We've not been as good as we would like, there's no hiding away from that , but we need to stick with this, we need to keep this resiliance and the quality we've got, we've got to use, we've got to stay in these games, keep fighting, which we did today. This lad was brilliant [Cerny], and so were others in the second half.

Cerny on the pressure they faced: We knew at half-time that we have to stick together, to have a goal, a quick one after the half-time and the second half, in my point of view, was a very good one, a dominant one and that's what we need to keep. A relief, yeah definitely, but it's a cup game and we are in the finals and that's all that matters.

Butland on the HT team-talk: There was a lot of people that spoke, there's a real desire to change things and do better, the manager said we need to keep the energy up and we all knew we needed to bring more than that as well.

It's full-time at Hampden and it's Rangers who advance to the Premier Sports Cup Final after a 2-1 win over Motherwell.

Second half goals from Dessers and Bajrami were enough to overturn a 1-0 half-time deficit through their former player Andy Halliday's strike and they will face Celtic just before Christmas.

It's a massive chance to finish the contest as the ball finds Cerny, who works it onto his right foot, with his shot striking the foot of the post, before Diomande's effort turns into a cross/shot that Barron can't finish.

Vaclav Cerny receives a booking for what looks like delaying the restart

Jack Butland does well to come and take the ball commandingly from the long-throw, which brings a big cheer from the Rangers fans.

The big Motherwell centre-half is across for another long-throw special, can Motherwell capitalise?

We have six minutes remaining as the board goes up, with Motherwell desperately seeking a late equaliser to send this to extra time.

Mohamed Diomande is into the book after just losing out on a 50/50 challenge.

Cerny again finds Bajrami with great pass, but his first touch is again poor and Robinson nicks it off him, before the Albanian barges him over.

Some, er, housery from Nedim Bajrami there as he demands the ball from the ball boy, then immediately palms it away when it reaches him to kill a few seconds on a throw in.,

He shares a laugh with the kid before Jefte comes over to actually take it.

Just a minute or so plus stoppage time for Rangers to see out now.

Rangers are looking for a third goal here as Jefte hits the byline and sends a low ball across looking for Danilo, but it's turned behind.

Moments after the official attendance is announced at 37,077 - meaning more than 14,000 tickets were returned - Rangers finally give the fans who did turn up the moment they came for.

Vaclav Cerny was the creator this time, his darting diagonal run bamboozling the 'Well midfield and giving him the angle to feed through Bajrami.

It's not the cleanest strike, deflecting past Aston Oxborough, but ask the Rangers fans, who are now belting out their reworked version of Caledonia, if they care.

Motherwell have another long throw as they look for a response, but Casey's header goes up and into the arms of Butland.

Rangers take the lead with 10 minutes to go as Nedim Bajrami sends his shot past Oxborough via a deflection.

The Albanian was found brilliantly by Cerny's cross-field pass and he looked to have taken too heavy a touch, but the sliding challenge of the Motherwell defender, knocks it into the ground and bounces over the keeper and in.

Motherwell 1-2 Rangers.

Leon Balogun has run his race and is brought off with 12 minutes to go, with Neraysho Kasanwirjo coming on to replace him rather than Robin Propper.

It's a bold call from Clement, will it pay off?

Rangers struggle to clear Kofi Balmer's latest long throw as two Rangers players miss the ball, almost colliding and Tom Sparrow has an effort blocked, but the offside flag is up.

This semi-final is on a knife edge as we enter the last 15 minutes, who's got the chops to score a winner and keep extra time at bay?

Marvin Kaleta looks done in after that lung-bursting run to track back. He's going to be replaced here by Shane Blaney.

The long throw is cleared up to Danilo, who threads it through for Cerny, who races forward, tracked by Kaleta. The Motherwell wing-back does brilliantly to usher Cerny wider as he seeks to get it onto his favoured left foot and the Steelmen can clear.

Rangers look like a much better team with Danilo and Sterling in it, and Dessers and Tavernier out of it.

The subs have really woken them up and for the first time in the game, Motherwell look as if they're hanging on.

Balmer is set to wind up a long throw for Motherwell, can the Steelmen create an opportunity?

Rangers have a good chance to take the lead as Cerny is denied by a great save from Oxborough who gets down low to tip it away.

It was great link-up play between Cerny and his old Eredivisie mate Danilo to make the chance, but Oxborough keeps it out.

It's a double switch for Rangers as Danilo makes his return replacing Dessers and Dujon Sterling replaces the captain James Tavernier.