It would be safe to say that James Tavernier has lost his fair share of games against Celtic over the course of his career. The Rangers captain had looked to be on the verge of an Ibrox exit in the summer but it did not materialise. He has remained a part of Philippe Clement's plans though and started in the Scottish League Cup final.
It proved to a closer game than anybody could have anticipated. Celtic looked uninspired in the first half and went into the break a goal down. But then they scored twice in quick succession after the break to take the lead.
Clement's side found an equaliser only to fall behind to a Nicolas Kuhn goal with minutes of regulation time left. But then, they did the unthinkable and got things back on level terms once again. Ultimately, it ended 3-3 and went to penalties.
Kasper Schmeichel saved Ridvan Yilmaz's spot-kick and that proved to be the decider, as the nine other penalties were scored. As a result, Celtic secured the first silverware of the season and Tavernier wanted his side to witness them lift the trophy.
James Tavernier's bold move after losing another final to Celtic
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Premier Sports presenter Emma Dodds said:
"Rangers lifted it last year, but they couldn’t retain it here this evening. It is Celtic who will go on to lift this trophy after Rangers have been given their runners-up medals.
“Some players staying out there to watch Celtic get the trophy. Some of the players have opted to go up the tunnel and captain James Tavernier has asked the players to stay out there and watch."
That is often viewed as a psychological move. After losing a final, players often stay behind to see their opposition lift the trophy in order to remember the feeling of failure and strive for success in the future in order to avoid a repeat.
Unfortunately for Tavernier, he has had the chance to witness Celtic lift the trophy after getting the better of the Rangers in the final on quite a few occasions over the years. One could argue that that has not had much of a positive impact on his record when it comes to big games though.