Callum McGregor’s Hampden goal had been brewing for 14 years.
In 2012 he scored a hat-trick in the final of the SFA Youth Cup against Queen of the South but Sunday was the real deal.
Eleven minutes in he raced into space as Moussa Dembele terrified the Ibrox defence as he raced on to a Mikael Lustig pass.
With one touch of his left boot McGregor directed the ball into the net. In it’s simplicity it was perfectly executed.
There was no way back for Pedro Caixinha’s team as a new chapter opened up for McGregor who joined Celtic as a nine-year-old.
“It was massive for me,” he admitted in the Daily Record. “I have been at this club since I was nine years old and you dream of that, days at Hampden in semi-finals and finals and scoring against Rangers.
“It just doesn’t get any better than that for a young boy coming through the system and that moment when the ball hit the back of the net was unbelievable.
“The manager has been praising me highly over the last few weeks, so it was great to go out and play like that and get a goal on a big occasion.”
With Nir Bitton, Eboue Kouassi and Stuart Armstrong capable of filling his role in the side alongside Scott Brown, McGregor faces plenty of competition for his place.
Saturday at Ibrox will be another tough test for the midfielder but he is now the man in possession as the countdown to the Scottish Cup Final gets underway and the chance to complete his domestic medal collection.
