FRASER Forster lived up to his ‘Great Wall’ nickname at Hampden this afternoon (Sunday), as the stopper helped the Hoops win 1-0 against their city rivals in the 2019 League Cup final. Despite his heroics, the 31-year-old said that winning is all that matters in one-off games, and he was delighted to help the Scottish champions secure their 10th consecutive trophy.

Christopher Jullien scored the only goal of the game, but Forster shared the headlines with a series of world-class saves – including a penalty stop from Alfredo Morelos, following Jeremie Frimpong’s 65th-minute red card.

“It was a busy game for me personally, and it was a really tough game for everyone,” said Forster. “The conditions were bad, we couldn’t get the ball down and play the way we wanted to play, which called for a different side to our game. It was a gritty, determined performance and we did well to win in the end.

“In a cup final, all that matters is that you win. I’ve been here before, we’ve played well and we’ve not won. It’s one of those ones, where the performance doesn’t really matter.”

Down to 10 men with half-an-hour remaining, Forster coached his backline through the match with aplomb, and likewise denied Rangers at every turn.

The keeper said he and his team-mates will celebrate their League Cup triumph this evening, before it’s back to business as usual at Lennoxtown. They now stare down a busy December schedule, which concludes with another Glasgow derby, this time at Paradise on the 29th.

He added: “Today has gone my way, our way, and when we went down to 10 men, as a team, we were brilliant. We really battled, defended really well, we dug in and we made it really hard for our opponents.

“I didn’t have too much time to think about any of my saves, they all happened so quickly in the moment. Luckily, I was able to get to each one, and it’s always nice to contribute and do my bit for the team. The lads in front of me were fantastic, and we got one chance and put it away. Credit to the big man for being able to do that.

“As a keeper, it’s always nice to make saves, so long as you keep a clean sheet in the end. But you can never think too far ahead – you need to keep your concentration in the game and think about the next one from there. It was nice to make a few saves.

"Some of those just hit me, some of those were more finessed, I was delighted to save the penalty, but above all else, I’m happy to contribute and do my bit for the team. We’re buzzing to get our first piece of silverware.

“Nothing will change from our perspective, though. We’ll enjoy tonight, we’ll keep playing game-to-game, and we will never get carried away.”

Fraser Forster: Winning is all that matters in cup finals