An electric performance from Celtic saw them sail through to the final of the Premier Sports Cup as they demolished previously unbeaten Aberdeen 6-0 at Hampden Park.
Goals from Cameron Carter-Vickers (29), Kyogo Furuhashi (32) and Nicolas Kuhn (59) followed by a hat-trick from the irresistibly good Daizen Maeda (40, 48, 85) handed Celtic a dominant victory over their opponents.
Following an unexpected 15 delay to kick-off due to low visibility from pyrotechnics, it was Celtic who seized control of the match very early on and it was a performance that cemented their status as Scotland’s best, while Aberdeen now know the size of the challenge ahead of them if they aim to beat them this season.
This result ended manager Jimmy Thelin’s 16-game unbeaten start as Dons boss and they will look to regroup back on Premiership duty next weekend against Dundee.
Celtic, meanwhile, await Rangers or Motherwell in the final next month back at Hampden Park.
Here is how we rated each player out of ten for their display at Hampden Park:
9. Alex Valle (Celtic) - 7
Another impressive performance from the Spaniard, who was preferred to Greg Taylor for the game. Positive driving runs allowed Daizen Maeda space to cause havoc. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
10. Jack MacKenzie (Aberdeen) - 5
Best of Aberdeen's back line and handed Nicolas Kuhn originally. However, it all went a bit ragged once Celtic opened scoring. | PA Photo: PA
11. Arne Engels (Celtic) - 7
An improved performance from the Belgian. Early shot over the bar was wild, but made a great tackle to stop Topi Keskinen before the first goal. Won the battle with Helte Nilsen. | PA Photo: SNS Group
12. Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen) - 4
Put in a tremendous tackle on Kyogo early doors, but didn't have any impact on the game after that aside from a free-kick that went miles over the bar in the first-half. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group