THE beaten semi-finalists had a measure of pride to go with their desolation as they trooped out of Hampden yesterday. While a defeated side on Old Firm day who claims to be truly contented with their lot are to be disbelieved, Rangers had compromised on their style of play in an attempt to contain a Celtic side which had routed them 5-1 at Parkhead in September and felt justified by a contest which was in the balance until the dying seconds.

While they rode their luck at points in the match, central defenders Rob Kiernan and Clint Hill experienced far more comfortable afternoons against Moussa Dembele than Kiernan and Philippe Senderos had back in September, while goalkeeper Matt Gilks - some erratic kicking besides - also had every reason to be content with his display.

Many of their supporters stayed behind to applaud them off the pitch and Hill, who turned 38 this week, said that Rangers had proved that they could be every bit as good as their greatest rivals on any given day. The next step is taking this confidence into home meetings with St Johnstone and Kilmarnock in the space of the next week, as the Ibrox club look to eat into their seven-point arrears on Celtic.

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"The performance today showed we can match them," said the former QPR defender. "We weren’t able to take the little chances we did make but hopefully we’ve closed the gap and we’ll take confidence from that.

“When you consider what the last game was like at their place, I thought we did really well in holding their attackers out for so long," added Hill. "Unfortunately we couldn’t get to extra-time but I was very proud of the lads and very proud of the team today. We’ve come a long way in a short space of time so there’s a lot of confidence to be taken even though it’s a bitter pill to swallow to take at the moment."

Hill was involved in one of the more controversial incidents of the day - one we would perhaps be hearing a lot more of had Dembele's late flick not given Celtic the lead. He felt referee Craig Thomson's decision to penalise Erik Sviatchenko for fouling him from a Sinclair cross and disallow a Celtic 'goal' was 50/50, even though to this observer Hill for once appeared to have misjudged the ball and the Dane was just standing his ground. "I dunno," said Hill. "I thought it was a 50-50, maybe it was a little foul. But he gave it and he gave one for them as well so it evens out."

Read more: Late agony for Rangers but qualified success as Plan B provides Warburton with Old Firm blueprint

Gilks, the club's nominated cup goalkeeper, said that goalkeeper coach Jim Stewart had told him as early as the previous round against Queen of the South that he would get the nod for this match. He rued the fact that Rangers' luck ran out when Dembele's clever flick resulted in a double nutmeg on both him and the backtracking Kiernan and said the win would have been on the cards had the match gone to extra time then penalties like April's Scottish Cup semi-final.

"I wouldn’t say the result at Celtic Park was a one off but it wasn’t expected for us, or them," said Gilks. "The gulf is a lot smaller than people think. We were being quoted today as going to lose by six or seven but we knew it was never going to happen, especially after last time. We looked at it in depth and worked on it and it was never going to re-occur today.

"As the game goes on, you are making saves and the game stays at nil-nil, you think 'we’ve got a chance here'," he added. "If the game goes to extra time, I would have fancied us massively. And obviously, if it goes to penalties, I back myself all day long. So I was actually hoping it would go to penalties rather than win it in extra time.

Read more: Late agony for Rangers but qualified success as Plan B provides Warburton with Old Firm blueprint

"But, you know, it’s a 90-minute game and it’s not over until the referee blows that whistle. So it’s disappointing, in the end. We kept ourselves in the game until 85 minutes and more, so to concede so late is tough. The goal goes through my legs. I think it went through Rob’s legs, as well. It’s probably one of the places a goalkeeper can’t do anything about. He’s three or four yards out – and it’s a cheeky finish - a good finish from a good player."

Gilks, of course, now doesn't have the BetFred cup final to look forward to. He doesn't expect to be handed the gloves on a permanent basis either. "Wes [Foderingham] has been doing well in the league and just because you’ve done well in the cup game doesn’t mean you’re going to be selected in the next league match. I’ve got to keep working hard, get my head down, and see if I can get in the team."

For all the efficiency of his performance, Gilks' Glasgow derby debut almost became known for the mother of all Old Firm howlers, when he passed the ball straight to Tom Rogic. Thankfully, the Australian appeared too surprised to capitalise. "The manager wanted to be brave and play but for me at times you can overplay and that was one of those instances," he said. "Thankfully I got in to spread myself and put it out for a corner but my heart was in my mouth, I must confess."