Celtic recorded a rousing 2-0 win over rivals Rangers in a compelling League Cup semi-final encounter at Hampden.

First-half goals from Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons did the damage for the Parkhead side who were content to play the second half out with little fuss.

It was the first meeting between the teams for almost three years with a packed National Stadium a sea of green and blue and engulfed in a wall of noise from the first kick to the last.

However, while the sound levels from both sets of fans were on a par with each other, the same could not be said for their teams.

SPFL Premiership champions Celtic went into the game a league above their old rivals, and the gulf between the two was laid bare for much of this epic clash.

It took just 10 minutes for Celtic to make their dominance count. A brilliant cross floated in from the right by Stefan Johansen went in between the two Rangers centre-halves. It found the head of Griffiths five yards out, who nodded the ball back across goal and beyond the helpless Steve Simonsen,

The former Hibs man could have easily got a second six minutes later as he got his head on a cut-backed Nir Bitton cross, only for his glancing effort to flash across goal.

On the half hour mark and it was two as Rangers shot themselves in the foot. Slack play out of defence was pounced on by Scott Brown, which caused Law and Ian Black to clatter into each other on the edge of their own box.

As a result the ball sprung out to Commons, who took one touch to shift the ball on to his left and rocket an unstoppable 25-yard screamer high into the far corner.

It was no more than Ronny Deila's side deserved at that stage against a blunt, one-dimensional Rangers, who could only resort to lumping high balls towards Celtic keeper Craig Gordon.

It may have been three just five minutes later if referee Craig Thomson had allowed play to continue with Griffiths scampering through on goal, but the referee contentiously pulled play back to the halfway line for a foul on Brown by Black.

The barrage on the Rangers goal continued to be cranked up as half-time approached. First an Anthony Stokes corner was headed just over from Virgil van Dijk at point-blank range after he shrugged off the challenge from Darren McGregor, only for Johansen to be denied from a similar distance by Simonsen following a fine knock down by Commons from a Stokes cross.

The second half began in a similar fashion, only Celtic's swagger seemed to grow as Rangers' footing became evermore shaky.

Amid the tricks and flicks, the Parkhead club pressed hard for the goal to put the game beyond doubt. Long-range efforts from both goalscorers acted as warning shots across the Rangers bow.

Despite the onslaught up for the first 50 minutes, Kenny McDowall's team eventually started to creep back into the game.

Aided by the introduction of Jon Daly, the Rangers front line was at last given a focal point which allowed Kenny Miller space to manoeuvre.

The Championship side enjoyed much more of the ball as play was moved into the Celtic half, but they still lacked any dynamism to open a defence that had strolled through the semi-final.

However, it failed to deliver something tangible as Gordon did not have a save to make.

Within 15 minutes the pressure had subsided and Celtic looked invigorated by the introduction of John Guidetti and James Forrest.

The pair didn't manage to get a third, but it wasn't needed as Deila's team look forward to another date at Hampden next month against Dundee United.