The pre-match question was whether or not Rangers would stick to the attacking style that helped them cruise to the Scottish Championship title.

Mark Warburton always insisted that he would but it would fall on his players to follow the strategy and ensure his system would work on the country's biggest stage.

And while it took penalties to separate the sides, the Ibrox men executed their game plan at a higher level than they've been tested at so far this season.

Here are some of the key factors which influenced the match.

Kenny Miller's movement caused Celtic's defence all sorts of problems in the first half, allowing Rangers to take control of the game early on.

Always better as an instinctive finisher, Miller was alert to get ahead of Dedryck Boyata after Scott Brown had deflected the ball into his path. In the opening minutes, the former Scotland striker had already peeled off Charlie Mulgrew to force Craig Gordon into a fine low save.

Miller dropped deep at times to allow Barrie McKay and Dean Shiels to move centrally and provide options for midfield pair Jason Holt and Andy Halliday.

His presence waned in the second period but nevertheless he has shown he can be a real asset for the Ibrox men in the top flight next term.

Mark Warburton opted for Dean Shiels to replace Harry Forrester in his starting line up with the midfield three of Holt, Halliday and Ball supporting Shiels and Barrie McKay. Warburton's midfield dominated the middle of the park with the defensive shield of Scott Brown and Nir Bitton proving largely ineffective against the Light Blues' fluid trio.

Ball, once again employed in a holding role, strolled through most of the game before moving to centre back when Rob Kiernan was replaced by Gedion Zelalem.

The understanding built up between Holt and Halliday was evident once again as Rangers pressed Celtic high up the park and the Championship side seemed to have more energy while others tired.

There was little surprise when Barrie McKay was awarded the man of the match prize on an afternoon where Rangers' star showed he's unlikely to be a one-season wonder.

Having seen his career revitalised by Warburton after tough spells under Ally McCoist, the 21-year-old gave Mikael Lustig a torrid afternoon and gave Kieran Tierney a real defensive examination, one the young Celtic full-back stood up to.

McKay's stunning goal in extra time was just reward for the winger who showed drive and skill in attack as well as tactical discipline when defending.

In the battle of the attacking midfielders, McKay was the star while it was another terrible afternoon for Celtic's Stefan Johansen. Last year's Player of the Year has been a shadow of himself this term with his passing wayward and a total lack of trademark late runs into the box, which helped make him a fans' favourite.

The Norwegian engaged in a lengthy touchline conversation with his manager shortly after Sviatchenko's equaliser as Deila urged him to get closer to Leigh Griffiths. The talk had little visible effect and he was eventually replaced by Tom Rogic, who made a big difference to Celtic's attacking threat by scoring their second before his penalty shoot-out miss.

The Danish defender wasn't deemed fit enough to start this Hampden clash but was forced into action after 25 minutes due to Dedryck Boyata's injury. Celtic's January signing proved his worth with a powerful header to equalise and looked far more assured than the blundering Belgian he had replaced.

Deila's faith in Boyata, especially as a ball-playing centre back, appears misplaced and recruiting another centre back to challenge Sviatchenko and the injury-prone Jozo Simunovic will be a summer priority.

While the former Midtjylland man may not be the quickest, he has good positional sense and did the basics well.

One of the pre-match worries for Rangers would have been how their centre backs would deal with Scotland's top striker. Griffiths went into this match with 37 goals in 48 appearances but he was largely subdued thanks to a solid display from Rob Kiernan and partner Danny Wilson.

Wilson had already been troubled by Jason Cummings and Michael O'Halloran earlier this season and so there were few guarantees that they would handle Griffiths' pace and clever movement.

The Scotland forward was unlucky to see a late free-kick strike the bar and bounce off Foderingham and out for a corner.