HE is the man for the big occasion. During 90 minutes of blood and thunder cup football, with challenges flying in and crimson soaking the Hampden turf, it was a moment of delicate beauty from Louis Moult that proved to be the decisive act.
With his side leading 1-0 and just over 15 minutes remaining, the in-form Steelmen striker hared after a ball over the top before arching a perfectly weighted lob over goalkeeper Jak Alnwick from 25 yards to book Stephen Robinson’s side a place against Celtic in the Betfred Cup final.
The delightful strike followed the 25-year-old’s close-range opener to increase his tally to 11 goals for the season and again raise questions over whether the Ibrox side should have made a more concerted effort to sign him in the summer.
Read more: Tam McManus: Going all-in on Caixinha at Rangers hasn’t paid off for Dave King
A fiery encounter saw Fabio Cardoso forced off with a broken nose, Moult have his eye stitched up and managers Pedro Caixinha and Stephen Robinson sent to the stands as tensions boiled over on the touchline.
And the striker was delighted by the way he and his teammates stood up to the physical battle.
“I think their boys have a few cuts and bruises and we have as well,” he said.
“That’s just what it’s all about. We gave as much as we got and thankfully we got the breaks.
“I love playing in big games, I love playing at big crowds, I love playing in front of big crowds. It’s what every footballer wants and I’m just like every other footballer.
“I’m proving myself. I’m hungry, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m hungry for success as an individual and we are as a football club.
“Of course, it’s about providing for the family, feeding them, and I’ll always run that extra yard to do that.
“It was quite equal in terms of the physical stuff – I mean, look at my eye, look at their centre half’s eye.
“It’s the just same really. We weren’t going to lie down and let them walk all over us. They weren’t going to let us do it to them. It was a fight out there."
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