James Tavernier, seething with anger, had to intervene to pull Mohamed Diomande away from a fiery altercation in the Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers.

During a tense moment at Hampden, the Ibrox captain had to step in when Diomande got into a heated exchange with Celtic players following a challenge on Greg Taylor by Dujon Sterling.

Despite mixed opinions regarding the fairness of the challenge, referee Nick Walsh awarded a free-kick, sparking a confrontation. Diomande clashed with Adam Idah and Callum McGregor before receiving a scolding from Alistair Johnston. The Rangers midfielder, set to make his loan move from Nordsjælland permanent in the summer, got involved by confronting McGregor after the incident, only to be knocked down by Idah.

Although Diomande was helped up by his teammate Leon Balogun, he was visibly upset and quickly reentered the heated dispute.

In a decisive move, captain Tavernier forcefully pulled Diomande away from the escalating situation, urging him to retreat. Meanwhile, Celtic’s defender Johnston also engaged with Diomande over the aftermath of the foul scuffle.

Later on, Diomande found himself in a tense moment as he appeared to retaliate against Daizen Maeda following a challenge by the Japanese winger. While Maeda received a booking for his tackle, Diomande escaped punishment for his actions.

Despite a VAR check, no further disciplinary action was deemed necessary, as the match was instructed to continue by referee John Beaton with no clear or obvious error detected.