SEETHING Brendan Rodgers PILLORIED his Celtic players after a lacklustre performance in the unacceptable 1-0 Premiership loss to St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park a fortnight ago.
It was all change at Hampden yesterday as a smiling Hoops manager PRAISED his team after a runaway 5-0 Scottish Cup semi-final triumph over the same opponents to book a place in the grand finale against Aberdeen at the same venue on Saturday May 24.
The champions will be competing for their sixth treble in nine years in a phenomenal sequence of success as they bring down the curtain on another triumphant campaign.
WELL DONE, SKIPPER…Greg Taylor congratulates Callum McGregor after the captain’s opening goal in the 5-0 rout of St Johnstone at Hampden.
The side that couldn’t score a goal in an hour and a half in Perth crammed four into the Saints’ net in a breathtaking TWELVE-MINUTE spell in the first-half to kill the tie as a contest.
Daizen Maeda, with a double, and Adam Idah struck shots behind the blameless Andy Fisher after skipper Callum McGregor had led the way with the breakthrough strike in the 34th minute.
Filipe Jota completed a five-star display in the 67th minute when he knocked a raking right-wing cross from Alistair Johnston over the line at the back post.
A beaming Rodgers said: “I’m so pleased for the players. A couple of weeks ago, they took a bit of stick for losing against St Johnstone.
“But you’ve seen in the last two performances, we’ve taken the start in to the game that we want.
JOY BHOYS…Daizen Maeda is congratulated by Greg Taylor after claiming his second goal.
“We’re humble in the way that we work and in our mentality.
“We showed the quality and ambition in the game to keep looking for more goals.
“We have to put so much in to a game like that. We dominate the ball, of course, but within that there is a lot of movement and rotation.
“And then the players find the quality to score the goals.”
The prospect of sealing a world record ninth treble will inevitably be raised between now and the silverware showdown with the Dons next month, but the Celtic manager will shut off from those discussions.
GOOD SIGN…the electronic screens at Hampden applaud Celtic.
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “This game was about getting to the Final, putting on a performance that the supporters can be proud of and looking forward to another day at Hampden.
“We’re there now which is great, so now the challenge will be to recover and then finish the job in the league at the weekend.
“That aside, we’ve got five games that we want to be really good in and take the best form that we can in to next month.”
Next up for the Hoops is the trip to Tannadice on Saturday where a solitary point against Dundee United will make certain of a fourth successive title, the thirteenth flag in 14 years and the 55th crown in the club’s coveted history.
Happy days in Paradise.
RAMPANT HOOPS SET UP GRAND FINALE
