St Johnstone upset over Rangers means new first for Scottish football

St Johnstone’s upset over Rangers at Ibrox means there will be no Old Firm participation in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Zander Clark races away after playing a huge role in St Johnstone's last-gasp equaliser at Ibrox. Picture: SNS

Steven Gerrard’s men disposed of rivals Celtic the week prior and were heavy favourites to lift the crown before losing to Callum Davidson’s side on penalties, having conceded an injury-time equaliser to Chris Kane after James Tavernier looked to have headed his side into the next round.

Saints join Hibs, Dundee United and either Kilmarnock or St Mirren in the final four. This closely resembles the semi-finals of this season’s League Cup (called the Betfred Cup for sponsorship reasons) where Hibs, St Johnstone St Mirren and Livingston battled it out for a place in the showpiece game.

It means in the 2020/21 Scottish football season, neither Celtic or Rangers have made the semi-final stage of either competition. That is something which has never before happened since the inaugural League Cup campaign of 1946-47.

Message from the editor

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today