Everything Michael Beale had to say in his post-match interview after Rangers beat Aberdeen at Hampden to progress to the Viaplay Cup final.

What were your thoughts on the game?

I thought we were the stronger team throughout, although Aberdeen played well and gave a threat on the counter. They scored a very good goal. We have to not stop. We have to play to the whistle or play till when we know it’s offside. If we were going to concede today it was going to be through a counterattack or set-play, we spoke about that. I thought we started well, had good efforts at the goal and hit the post. At half-time I said to them I thought we were the better team in the first half, we had to not lose our head and keep playing. We were the team with the ball, which is what we wanted, and we thought we might tire on the pitch because it was really difficult under foot. Steven [Gerrard] has sat here when I was assistant to him when we’ve dominated a semi-final and got beat, I had a final as an assistant where we got beat and were the better team. I thought we were the stronger team today and I’m just delighted to be through.

What about the goal you conceded?

The ball goes in the direction of the centre-forward who is offside and we saw that in the Manchester derby yesterday. You’ve got to play to the whistle. That’s a bit of a grey area. VAR kept breaking down today. For my players we mustn’t stop. In terms of the recovery, it shouldn’t be a surprise now because we’ve done it quite a lot. I’d prefer us to be in front to be honest but our response was fantastic. Mentality, character and belief in the way we play. To not rush it, not force it and keep playing to create chances.

Can a cup win accelerate your time here?

I don’t want the players to be so anxious, I don’t know where it’s coming from at times in the game. We’re a good football team, we win a lot of football matches. I don’t know why that anxiety is there so we must stop. There was moments where we were anxious. To win the game was fantastic. I’m fortunate to accept a team in a semi-final, big credit to Gio for that. I’m just delighted for the fans that they get to come back here in a final. That’s a long way away, my eyes are on Kilmarnock.

What happened with VAR?

We knew it kept failing. Me and Jim [Goodwin] wanted to play without it. If VAR fails they should just play without it because the game had a lot of breaks which didn’t help either team. I thought the officials had a good game to be honest.

What does that, and the pitch, do for the image?

Yeah, it’s probably not the right time to talk about it but you’ve asked the question. It’s a fantastic stadium and I love coming here. I agree, both semi-finals were excellent and all the teams went for it, but the pitch is in a bad state for a showpiece game. I know we can’t control the weather, do we separate the weekends? That’s for others to decide but that was a difficult pitch today and it will take its toll. We’ve got an excellent game, teams are going for it and I’ve seen a difference in the coaching in the league. I look at Aberdeen playing open football against us in a really good game. We’ve got a good product, we just need to present it in the right way.

Do you feel this group need another cup to do their time together justice?

In the four/five years I’ve been in and around the club it’s completely different. In terms of the players, style of play. We need to win trophies every season if I am honest. Where we are at at the moment we should demand that off each other. Today was a good step in the right direction because we get to come back and compete in the final against our biggest rivals.

Talk us through the substitutions that won the game?

I’ve been speaking to Scott Wright about being more direct, when he is direct he is a much better player. I want him to take on more one-v-ones, be a little more selfish. He’s a lovely boy and has much more talent in him, because I see it every day, than he sometimes shows when he goes out on the big stage. Having said that he seems to enjoy Hampden because in the summer I remember watching and cheering him on when he scored a fantastic goal and today he’s had a big defining moment. Kemar can’t catch a break, he comes on and gets the winner and then goes off injured. We will have an x-ray on that tomorrow, it’s not a dislocation so we’re hoping it’s just a bad landing and a sore one. With Antonio Colak out and Kemar, the group deserve huge credit for continuing to win under pressure.