Greg Taylor has revealed how Todd Cantwell’s on-field jibes fired him up before Celtic dramatically clinched the Scottish Cup.
The pair clashed in the latter stages of Saturday’s showpiece final, with the Celtic full-back booked for taking down the Rangers midfielder then shoving him.
Cantwell was substituted a minute later, but the verbal volley he launched at Taylor as he left the field saw him also yellow carded by referee Nick Walsh.
The English midfielder was a spectator as Adam Idah dramatically took advantage of Jack Butland’s fumble in the 90th minute to ensure Brendan Rodgers’ men ended a challenging season with the double.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement also had to drag Cantwell away from the match referee after the final whistle.
While Taylor has no issue with the rough and tumble that comes with Old Firm games, he clearly felt that some of Cantwell’s remarks crossed a line.
Taylor and Cantwell clash in the latter stages of the Hampden cup final
Celtic defender Taylor and Rangers midfielder Cantwell exchange heated words
Taylor holds the Scottish Cup with matchwinner Adam Idah
‘I like playing on the edge, definitely,’ said the full-back. ‘He said a few things that I didn’t like. It was a good battle in the game, but it was important to get the win.
‘I don’t want it to be a headline or that — I just didn’t like a couple of the things he said. But that’s fine, we move on.
‘We went on and did the business, so it’s important we focus on us and the success we’ve had in winning a cup. Adam was key to that.’
The feud continued on social media across the weekend, with Taylor’s Instagram account featuring a picture of Celtic celebrating with the trophy. Team-mate Alistair Johnston replied, asking Taylor if he would be ‘eating a burger tonight wee man???’
This was an apparent reference to Cantwell’s post on the same platform last week which pictured his celebration after his goal against Hearts and a caption which read: ‘Shushburger please’ accompanied by a laughing face emoji.
He quickly deleted his post after being reminded by angry Rangers fans that he had a cup final still to play in. Cantwell then reposted the picture without the unusual message.
Johnston’s remark on Saturday was ‘liked’ by team-mates including Taylor and Idah.
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton also wrote: ‘Well played Celtic and Adam Idah. I may celebrate with a Shushburger this evening.’
Dujon Sterling takes a seat on Taylor’s back during a flashpoint in match
An ectsatic Taylor leads the celebrations in Celtic dressing room at Hampden
Idah, the on-loan Celtic striker, wrote his name into Celtic folklore by following in Paulo Bernardo’s shot and converting once the ball spilled loose.
While not the prettiest display of the season, Taylor felt the victory demonstrated that Rodgers’ team are capable of digging out huge wins even when below their best.
‘We were a bit done and out on our feet so I was glad it didn’t go to extra time,’ he smiled. ‘I looked at the clock and it was showing 83 or 84 minutes and I was like: “Oooft, my legs are pretty done here”.
‘It was a hot day and a tense occasion. We had the chance to beat our biggest rivals, win a cup and make it a really special season, not just the league title, and we did it.
‘I thought in the first half we controlled a lot of the ball without doing a lot with it, in truth. The pitch was a bit dry, albeit a really good surface, and there weren’t a lot of clear-cut chances in the game but, in the big moment, Adam scores.
‘We were saying in the dressing room that the cup final was a pretty accurate (reflection) of how the whole season has gone. It’s not always been pretty, but we’ve got a really strong mentality in the group — a winning mentality — and in the big moments we’ve turned up.’
