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:
17. Nicolas Kuhn (Celtic) - 9
A stunning goal capped off another livewire display. Jack MacKenzie managed to halt him for a short while, but he soon dominated the Aberdeen left-back. | SNS Group
18. Duk (Aberdeen) - 4
Looked frustrated, was booked and pocketed with ease by Alistair Johnston. He'll have better days. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
19. Daizen Maeda (Celtic) - 10
Simply outstanding. An energizer bunny that simply never stops. His pressing and speed for the second was brilliant and sums up everything he is about and everything he brings to Brendan Rodgers' team. Grabbed a hat-trick and never put a foot wrong. | SNS Group
20. Topi Keskinen (Aberdeen) - 5
Had some encouraging runs in the first-half, but simply went nowhere with it and was easily handled by a dominant Celtic backline. | SNS Group