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:
13. Reo Hatate (Celtic) - 7
Enjoyed a good battle with Graeme Shinnie originally, but once the first goal went in, Hatate strolled through the rest of the evening as Celtic dominated. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
14. Sivert Heltne Nilsen (Aberdeen) - 5
Started well and won the early battle with Engels, but ended up being too easily overran by a sharp, aggressive Celtic midfield. | SNS Group
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15. Callum McGregor (Celtic) - 8
A pass master. Everything good Celtic do it starts with the captain. Unlucky to be booked in the first-half, but didn't effect his influence. | SNS Group
16. Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen) - 6
Another who started well, providing good strong challenges early on. Was tenacious in the opening 25 minutes, but left with too much to do as Celtic blew his team away. | SNS Group