Former Celtic defender Kris Ajer has admitted that the fact the Hoops goal against Rangers in the 2019 League Cup final was offside made the win even sweeter.
It’s been over three years since both sides faced off against each other in a cup final as all attention is on Sunday.
Both sides head into the game in good form having remained unbeaten since the return after the World Cup break meaning that one team is going to need to lose their unbeaten streak.
Christopher Jullien became the unlikely match winner for Celtic back in December 2019 as Neil Lennon’s side won the first part of a historic Quadruple Treble.
The game itself wasn’t an enjoyable watch as Fraser Forster came to the rescue on more than one occasion having also saved an Alfredo Morelos penalty which Jeremie Frimpong was sent off for.
Much was made after the game about Celtic’s winning goal as Jullien appeared to be offside but as there was no VAR technology back then, the goal was awarded much to the delight of his teammates.
Ajer admitted that he ‘loved’ the French defenders goal who he developed a strong partnership with that season.
“It was probably a horrific game to watch,” said Ajer speaking exclusively to the [Celtic View Podcast].
“It was a bit of a blur for me. We scored maybe a wee offside goal, which I loved! It was amazing. There’s nothing better.
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
“To have a missed penalty and an offside goal, it made a bad game very sweet! It’s one of the coolest celebrations I’ve ever seen. That knee slide was just spot on. It was incredible to see half the stadium going crazy.
“It was just a group of players who lived in the moment and took every game at a time. Even at 1-0 and down to 10 men we knew we could still grind it out.”
There’s absolutely no debate who was the standout performer for Celtic that day and Ajer believes Forster was unbeatable that day.
“When Fraser had games like this there was no one better in the world.
“It’s probably crazy to say but I was quite calm because I knew he was going to save it because he was having the game of his life.
“He was like a wall to get through. It is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen live and I was lucky enough to watch if from so close. We could still be playing now and he would be saving everything.”
