Hughes sympathises with Celtic

Seconds from the break, with the Hoops leading 1-0 through a Virgil van Dijk free-kick, Caley defender Josh Meekings prevented a Leigh Griffiths header going in with his arm a yard from goal.

However, remarkably, the spot-kick claim was ignored by referee Steven McLean and his additional assistant referee Alan Muir, who was just a few yards away behind the goal.

To compound Hoops' outrage, keeper Craig Gordon was sent off early in the second-half for tripping Inverness striker Marley Watkins to concede a penalty, which Greg Tansey scored past replacement keeper Lukasz Zaluska.

The game went into extra-time where the drama continued.

Caley striker Edward Ofere's low drive in the 96th minute was cancelled out by Celtic substitute John Guidetti's free-kick but - with four minutes remaining - full-back David Raven grabbed the winner to set up a May 30 meeting with Championship side Falkirk.

Afterwards Hughes said: "I haven't seen it yet but probably going by the reaction of the Celtic players we probably got away with a penalty with Josh Meekings and if that is the case, then maybe a sending off.

"That is probably a turning point in the game.

"I know Ronny will feel really aggrieved because I certainly would.

"That is part and parcel of football, we needed that wee bit of luck to beat Celtic."

The former Falkirk boss had considered taking goal hero Raven off before he popped up with the late winner which was only his second goal for Inverness and third in his career.

He said: "Coming up to extra-time he was sitting on the grass and I pulled him up by the scruff of the net and said, 'don't show any weakness'.

"Sitting down is weakness for me. You stand up.

"And I have to be honest, before he scored the goal I was looking to change it.

"I was going to put Aaron Dorran in at right-back but more as a winger so he could take the left-back on.

"Thankfully I didn't do that and David came up with the goal."

It will be Inverness's first Scottish Cup final since being formed as an amalgamation of Inverness Thistle and Caledonian in 1994, and former Celtic defender Hughes heralded it as "an absolutely fantastic story".

He said: "We have been going 21 years, a small provincial club up in the Highlands.

"We lost a real inspirational skipper in Richie Foran, he has been out all season with injury, we had to sell our top goalscorer Billy Mckay in January and we had to go again."

The one down side for Caley was the booking for defender Gary Warren which rules him out of the final, after suspension also cost him a place in last season's Scottish League Cup final defeat to Aberdeen at Parkhead.

Hughes said: "That is a rule that I would look at. To deny someone the opportunity to play in a cup final, especially the Scottish Cup final with the history of it, that rankles with me.

"If it is a straight red in the semi-final, by all means, you don't play, but if it is two bookings that rules you out, you need to look at that.

"Gary is an absolute gentleman, he has come in to the game late and gives you everything he has got. I am gutted for him."