Hampden in the sun

1957 Scottish League Cup Final

The 1957 Scottish League Cup final match programme
Event	1957–58 Scottish League Cup
Celtic Rangers 7 1
Date	19 October 1957
Venue	Hampden Park, Glasgow
Referee	J.A. Mowatt
Attendance	82,293
← 1956 1958 →

The 1957 Scottish League Cup Final was the final of the 1957–58 Scottish League Cup. The football match was played on 19 October 1957 at Hampden Park, in which Celtic beat rivals Rangers in a record 7–1 victory. The final was nicknamed "Hampden in the Sun", a phrase first coined by Celtic supporters as the title of a terrace song. It has since been used in other songs, poems and a book.

Celtic entered the final as holders, having beaten Partick Thistle after a replay in the previous year's Final. Rangers were the reigning league champions. The match was the 12th League Cup Final, and the first contested by the Old Firm. It was held at a sunny Hampden Park in Glasgow, at 2.45pm on the afternoon of 19 October 1957.

Celtic attacked from the start, with shots hitting the post twice in the first twenty minutes. The first goal was scored by Sammy Wilson, from a Charlie Tully cross on in the 22nd minute. Rangers defended for the remainder of the first half, however in the 44th minute Neil Mochan scored a solo goal after a run down the left wing. Within eight minutes of the restart Billy McPhail scored Celtic's third goal with a header from a Bobby Collins cross. Rangers narrowed the margin five minutes later, a goal by Simpson, however it only served to reinvigorate the Celtic attack as McPhail, then Mochan scored their second goals.

In the 80th minute, McPhail claimed his third, a hat-trick of goals all scored with his head. As the game drew to a close violence flared in among the fans, but in the final minute McPhail was fouled in the Rangers' penalty area. He declined the opportunity to score a fourth goal, a feat never achieved by a player in an Old Firm match, instead Willie Fernie took the kick. In addition to the seven goals, Celtic hit the woodwork four times. They were permitted to keep their jerseys as a souvenir of the day.