CELTIC 5 ST JOHNSTONE 0
CELTIC couldn’t score in an hour and a half against St Johnstone a fortnight ago.
For 12 minutes in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden this afternoon it looked as though they couldn’t stop scoring against the shell-shocked Perth club.
The miserable memory of a dire 1-0 Premiership loss at McDiarmid Park was obliterated as Brendan Rodgers’ rampant Hoops went on the rampage to seal their place in the silverware showpiece at the same venue against Aberdeen in Saturday May 24.
NUMBER ONE…Callum McGregor is greeted by Alistair Johnston after leaving keeper Andy Fisher helpless. James Forrest is about to join the celebrations.
The holders knocked on the door before skipper Callum McGregor provided the key in the 34th minute to kick-start a whirlwind spell in which the blameless Andy Fisher, who proved to be unbeatable in the league game, was required to pick the ball from the back of his net FOUR times.
It was all mesmerising stuff as the sun shone down on the national stadium with the Celtic fans in fine voice throughout.
McGregor’s breakthrough goal was a beauty and was the perfect finale to some quickfire movement between James Forrest and Reo Hatate that had the bemused Saints defenders chasing shadows.
The Japanese playmaker set it up for his captain on the edge of the box and Hampden held its breath in anticipation.
McGregor eased into the penalty area, took two touches and then unleashed a ferocious left-foot drive that arrowed low past Fisher to his right.
NUMBER TWO…Daizen Maeda strikes to double the advantage.
Three minutes later, the stadium erupted in delight again when Daizen Maeda, who had threatened from the first kick, got on the scoresheet.
Cameron Carter-Vickers got the ball in motion with a pass to Adam Idah who knocked it back to McGregor who released the jet-heeled winger who made no mistake with an unerring low drive past Fisher.
Then came two goals in a lightning burst in under two minutes to flatten the Perth side.
In the 45th minute, Liam Scales slipped a pass to Hatate and the Japanese ace whipped in a low ball that was lashed into the net by Idah from close range.
NUMBER THREE…Adam Idah swoops to add to the procession as keeper Andy Fisher fails to halt a low ball from Reo Hatate.
NUMBER FOUR…Daizen Maeda celebrates a quickfire first-half double.
The Saints defenders were praying for the half-time whistle, but in stoppage-time the masterful Maeda stroked in his 33rd goal of a prolific campaign.
Hatate once again provided the killer pass, McGregor made a clever dummy run on the left to distract the defence and the team’s top scorer whipped a low left-foot drive past the grasping Fisher.
As Celtic eased off in the second-half, the fifth goal was collected by Filipe Jota who had come on along with Luke McCowan and Nicolas Kuhn for Idah, Engels and Forrest in the 63rd minute.
Four minutes later, Kuhn released Johnston on the right and the Canadian swung over an inviting cross to the back post.
Jota read it perfectly as the swirling ball dropped in front of him and touched it with delicate ease beyond the stranded Fisher.
NUMBER FIVE…Filipe Jota ends the spree as he touches the ball home from close range.
Earlier, VAR had been called in twice to cancel a St Johnstone consolation goal and deny the Hoops a penalty-kick.
The Perth side thought they had scored when Makenzie Kirk sent a blistering 25-yard drive hurtling high past Vilijami Sinisalo eight minutes after the turnaround.
Referee Calum Scott awarded the strike, but Andrew Dalas, on VAR, instructed him to have a second look. A check on the touchline monitor showed a blatant push in the back of Idah in the build-up and the effort was ruled out.
In the 61st minute, Forrest was sent sprawling after a weaving run into the box. The match official pointed to the spot, but once again he was called to review the incident and he returned to cancel the award and give a free-kick to Saints.
A BIG HAND…Brendan Rodgers shows his appreciation of the fans’ support at Hampden.
Rodgers utilised all five substitutes when he also introduced Paulo Bernardo and Anthony Ralston for Hatate and Johnston in the final 20 minutes.
Now all eyes are on Tannadice on Saturday where the fans hope to enjoy a fourth successive title,
And, at the end of another memorable crusade, there could be a world record ninth treble to celebrate at Hampden.
There’s nothing like bringing down the curtain on a season with a little bit of style!
TEAM: Sinisalo; Johnston (sub: Ralston 77), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; Engels (sub: McCowan 63), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Bernardo 71); Forrest (sub: Kuhn 63), Idah (sub: Jota 63), Maeda.
