How Reo Hatate helped Celtic dominate Rangers in League Cup final

The Japanese striker, in a repeat of his double from last season’s final, broke the deadlock just ahead of half-time before tapping in again after the interval to put the Hoops in control at Hampden.

Despite Alfredo Morelos reducing the deficit on 64 minutes, the Ibrox side never looked like finding a way past Joe Hart for a second time with the Scottish champions more likely to extend their lead on the break in the closing stages. 

Kyogo’s double may have been the difference but there were big performances throughout the Celtic team at the national stadium.

Centre-back pairing Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt were imperious once again, with Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor full of energy and drive on either side of them.

Out wide, Jota drifted in and out of the game but enjoyed some bright moments in attack while Daizen Maeda’s tireless work off the ball disrupted Rangers’ rhythm, stifling one of their biggest attacking threats in right-back James Tavernier.

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic ratings as Kyogo Furuhashi double downs Rangers

In the middle of the park captain Calum McGregor, Aaron Mooy and Reo Hatate all played their part in helping Celtic gain the upper hand in the all-important midfield battle.

Rangers manager Michael Beale had selected fit-again John Lundstram alongside Glen Kamara and Malik Tillman, who also recovered from a recent knock, in his own midfield while leaving new recruits Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin on the bench. 

The selection of Lundstram gave an insight into Beale’s approach with the Ibrox manager prioritising physicality and experience in his engine room.

However, his selected three simply could not match the energy and sharpness of the Hoops trio with the Ibrox side struggling to contain Hatate in particular. 

Here, we break down how the Japanese midfielder's influential display helped Celtic get the better of their rivals...

Pass to Jota (20 mins)

After a frenetic opening 20 minutes, the Parkhead side had the first two clear sights of goal in quick succession. First, Kyogo got in behind but found his route to goal blocked by Allan McGregor. 

The second opportunity started to show Hatate’s growing influence on the game though. After an excellent piece of work by Maeda to rob Tillman in the middle of the park, the Japanese midfielder turned sharply to slide a ball through the Rangers’ midfield to Jota who had drifted inside. 

Although the Portuguese winger’s initial shot was blocked, his second attempt quickly forced McGregor into the first big save of the game. 

Pass to Mooy (41 mins)

Celtic continued to probe as the half went on, particularly through the central areas, with Hatate at the heart of everything. With less than five minutes to go in the first half the 25-year-old again instigated a move that lead to a goalscoring opportunity. 

As the Rangers midfield point struggled to match the tempo set by the Celtic trio, Hatate threaded another ball through the lines that took all three out of the game and found Mooy.  

Mooy’s superb pass into the path of Jota allowed the former Benfica attacker to feed Johnston out wide.

The Canadian’s cross then found Kyogo who headed just over. Although the club’s top goal scorer did not make the most of the opportunity of this occasion, this was another move that highlighted Celtic’s growing dominance in the game with Hatate very much at the forefront of things. 

Opening goal (43 mins)

Hatate’s next penetrative pass into the centre of the pitch would help Celtic find the breakthrough just minutes before half-time.

After holding off Lundstram when receiving a pass from Maeda, Hatate side-stepped Tillman to keep hold of possession.

At this point, the Rangers midfield probably felt like they had done a decent job in forcing Hatate back towards his own goal. 

However, a swift 360-degree swivel from the Japanese playmaker sees him facing back towards the Ibrox side's goal just a split second later.  

Here, the Rangers midfield is too static, failing to get close enough to apply any real pressure. This allowed Hatate to play the ball between Tillman and Lundstram, attracted to the run of Taylor on the outside, to find Mooy in plenty of space between the Rangers defensive and midfield lines. 

The Australian international had enough time and space to play in Taylor who produced the low cross that, after a swing by Maeda at the front post, found Kyogo unmarked in the six-yard box to tap in the opener. 

Kyogo's second (55 mins)

After a key role in the opener, the former Kawasaki Frontale man was then heavily involved in Celtic’s second just 10 minutes into the second half. 

His first involvement was to pop the ball off to Mooy in the middle of the pitch after receiving from Starfelt who brilliantly stepped into midfield to cut out a James Tavernier pass.

Mooy then rolled the ball to McGregor, who exchanged passes with Taylor as Hatate drifted into the left half-space.   

The Japanese playmaker scanned the space in behind between Tavernier and Connor Goldson on several occasions at this point. Then, as McGregor finds Mooy again, this time on Tillman's other side, Hatate bursts in behind. 

The timing of his run, and the weight of the pass from Mooy, on the half-turn, as he receives from McGregor, is perfect. It's then a great piece of decision-making in the final third from Hatate to roll the ball across for Kyogo to tap in from close range again. 

A goal that would end up being the matchwinner, the movement off the ball, speed of exchanges in central areas and clinical finishing was this Celtic side at their best. It was certainly no surprise that it was Hatate that was at the heart of it all again. 

What the data says 

Match data from Wyscout highlights the influence of Hatate and his midfield team-mates in providing the platform that led to Celtic picking up the first piece of silverware of the season at the expense of their rivals. 

Although most of Celtic’s attacks came from the right flank, the most xG was generated through those central areas, 0.93 from 11 attacks. 

Hatate’s constant willingness to rotate out into those wide areas, as he did for the opening goal, was key in overloading that side and creating space in those central areas. 

It also influenced the left side, helping create higher-quality chances down the left, despite more attacks coming from the right on Sunday. 

Hatate’s pass map, shown below, shows he executed most of his passes in that wide left area. 

Taylor (pass map shown below) was also vital here, of course. Registering more accurate progressive passes than any other player on the pitch (19), his combinations with Hatate, who completed all six of his progressive passes, were again responsible for so much of Celtic’s ball progression. 

Takeaways

It may have been his international compatriot Kyogo who grabbed the goals that sealed Celtic’s seventh League Cup title in nine years but Hatate also more than made his mark at Hampden. 

Alongside Mooy and McGregor, his spirited performance was pivotal in winning the midfield battle that was so important in delivering the third piece of silverware of the Postecoglou era.