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Rangers crush auld enemy Celtic

Rangers' Maurice Ross, right, holds off Celtic's Momo Sylla from the ball during their Scottish League Cup final match at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday. Rangers defeated Celtic 2-1. PHOTO: AP

Celtic striker John Hartson missed a last-minute penalty as Rangers lifted the Scottish League Cup for a record 23rd time on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over their fierce Glasgow rivals at Hampden Park.

Danish forward Peter Lovenkrands, who has a habit of scoring against Celtic, grabbed what proved to be the winner as Alex McLeish's side retained the trophy they won last season in dramatic fashion.

Lovenkrands, who scored twice in Rangers' 3-2 Scottish Cup final win over Celtic last season, created Rangers' first goal, scored by Argentine Claudio Caniggia after 23 minutes and 12 minutes later swept home the second from a Michael Mols pass.

Swedish striker Henrik Larsson headed one back from a corner for Celtic after 57 minutes.

In England, meanwhile, Steven Gerrard set up two goals and scored the winner as Liverpool beat Tottenham 3-2 in the Premier League Sunday, its first win at White Hart Lane in seven years.

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier kept faith with the team which drew 1-1 at Celtic in the UEFA Cup on Thursday. That meant Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf, who faces an UEFA and police inquiry for allegedly spitting at a fan during that match, kept his place.

Also Sunday, Robbie Fowler scored his first Manchester City goal as the Blues beat Birmingham 1-0. Gianfranco Zola and Mario Stanic scored as Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0.

Defending champion Arsenal slipped up in its bid to win back-to-back titles, losing 2-0 to Blackburn on Saturday.

Arsenal has 63 points, two more than Manchester United, although the Reds must go to Highbury in April for what could be the league decider. Newcastle is third with 58 points, followed by Chelsea (51), Everton (50), Liverpool (49) and Blackburn (46).

A goalkeeping blunder from Liverpool's Jerzy Dudek helped Tottenham's Argentine defender Mauricio Taricco score his first goal for Spurs in the 49th minute.

Taricco hit a low drive from 25m which Dudek dropped and the ball dribbled over the line.

Two minutes later, Michael Owen scored his 21st goal of the season to equalize from a Gerrard cross.

Emile Heskey, who overcame a hamstring injury to play, headed Liverpool's second in the 72nd minute, from Gerrard's accurate pass.

Gerrard made it 3-1 ten minutes later, taking the ball against the run of play to score 20m past Tottenham 'keeper Kasey Keller.

Spurs scored a consolation goal three minutes from time through Teddy Sheringham.

In Manchester, Fowler's 72nd minute strike, from an Ali Benarbia curling cross, was his first for City since he moved from Leeds on Jan. 30.

``In his first couple of games Robbie needed fitness and today he needed a goal -- and he deserved it today,'' Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan said.

``It was going to take something out of the ordinary to win it and Robbie supplied it.''

At West Bromwich, Zola's 58th-minute strike ended the resistance of Albion, which is almost certainly set to be relegated.

Mario Stanic had headed the Blues into a 38th-minute lead from Graeme Le Saux's corner.
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