HE is the man for the big occasion. During 90 minutes of blood and thunder cup football, with challenges flying in and crimson soaking the Hampden turf, it was a moment of delicate beauty from Louis Moult that proved to be the decisive act.

With his side leading 1-0 and just over 15 minutes remaining, the in-form Steelmen striker hared after a ball over the top before arching a perfectly weighted lob over goalkeeper Jak Alnwick from 25 yards to book Stephen Robinson’s side a place against Celtic in the Betfred Cup final.

The delightful strike followed the 25-year-old’s close-range opener to increase his tally to 11 goals for the season and again raise questions over whether the Ibrox side should have made a more concerted effort to sign him in the summer.

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A fiery encounter saw Fabio Cardoso forced off with a broken nose, Moult have his eye stitched up and managers Pedro Caixinha and Stephen Robinson sent to the stands as tensions boiled over on the touchline.

And Moult, who was involved in an altercation with Bruno Alves in the second half that resulted in him picking up a yellow card, was delighted not only with his own performance but the way in which Robinson’s side stood up to the physical battle.

“I think their boys have a few cuts and bruises and we have as well,” he said.

“That’s just what it’s all about. We gave as much as we got and thankfully we got the breaks.

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“I love playing in big games, I love playing at big crowds, I love playing in front of big crowds. It’s what every footballer wants and I’m just like every other footballer.

“I’m proving myself. I’m hungry, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m hungry for success as an individual and we are as a football club.

“Of course, it’s about providing for the family, feeding them, and I’ll always run that extra yard to do that.

“It was quite equal in terms of the physical stuff – I mean, look at my eye, look at their centre half’s eye.

“It’s the just same really. We weren’t going to lie down and let them walk all over us. They weren’t going to let us do it to them. It was a fight out there.

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“I think Rangers have added a bit more steel from last season, like Bruno Alves. I think they’re more physical and I think they’re up for a fight a bit more.”

Moult, who described his lob as the best goal of his career so far, was not shy in setting new and ambitious targets for this impressive and improving Motherwell side.

The striker is aware that Celtic, who stretched their unbeaten domestic run to 60 matches against Hibernian on Saturday, are a vastly improved side under Brendan Rodgers but pointed to his own club’s ascendancy as a reason to believe the Steelmen can be the team to finally de-throne their illustrious cup final opponents.

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“Of course we can beat Celtic in the final,” he said.

“We beat them two seasons ago and I scored two goals at their place. We’ve got belief. Yes, they’re a different side now with a different manager, I get that.

“They are a different side. But so are we. You’ve seen today and in the past 10, 11 games how strong we are as a squad.

“The big thing from us at the moment is our attitudes. We go on the park convinced we’re going to win and I believe the people beside me all think the same.”