BRENDAN RODGERS reminded his Celtic players they were the masters of their own destiny as they prepared to leave the dressing room to line up against Aberdeen at Hampden last night.
The team had prepared for the Premier Sports League Cup semi-final as soon as the game against Dundee had been taken care of at Parkhead in midweek and a 2-0 win ensured another three points in the pursuit of a fourth successive title.
With the silverware showpiece due next month, the manager stressed the fact to his squad this was their opportunity of putting themselves in the position of picking up the first trophy of the season.
POINTING THE WAY AHEAD…Brendan Rodgers sends instructions from the touchline.
Rodgers admitted: “I said to the players, there are two things that are factual before the game.
“Firstly, it’s going to be a brilliant atmosphere, because it’s the two best teams in the country playing.
“The second fact was that it’s kicking off at 5.30pm in the dark. Everything else after that, we decide.
“We decide how we play, how we work, how we run, the quality of our play. And the players did that.
“It’s just preparing like it’s always your first time here. Obviously, we have an obligation to fight for trophies and we give ourselves a chance here in mid-December now.”
The players certainly responded to the stirring words of the Irishman by racing to a three-goal interval advantage before settling for a 6-0 romp against opponents who had been unbeaten after 16 games in this campaign.
THE CUP THAT CHEERS…hat-trick hero Daizen Maeda is congratulated by Alex Valle.
Daizen Maeda was a one-man wrecking ball as he destroyed the Dons defence with a memorable hat-trick while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn joined in the rout.
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “I thought the performance of the players was really good and, in the second-half, we were much more aggressive.
“We were clinical in our finishing and we played with real authority. I’m so pleased for the players.
“The goals were great and it’s a great day for the team and the supporters.”
Motherwell and Philippe Clement’s Ibrox side play at the national stadium this afternoon for the right to face the Hoops in the Final on Sunday December 15.
Rodgers added: “There are a lot of very important games before that, but the objective was to get to the Final and we did that.
“I’m really pleased for the players and what they put in to the game and they got their rewards.”
JOY OF SIX AS DAZZLING DAIZEN HAMMERS IN A HAT-TRICK
