Match Pictures | Matches: 2024 – 2025
Trivia
- KO: 15:00 Sunday; Premier Sports 1; Easter Sunday
- Scottish Cup semi-finals
- Celtic remain on course for another treble!
- Aberdeen defeated 9 man Hearts in the other match 2-1 aet, winner was by a Palestinian.
- Callum McGregor became Celtic’s 7th player to hit double figures for the season. It’s the first time they’ve managed that since their greatest ever season in 1966-67.
- St Johnstone won 1-0 in the last meeting only two weeks ago (league).
- This is just a ninth start of the season for James Forrest, who is just one medal behind the most decorated Celtic player of all time, the great Bobby Lennox.
- SFA had to reverse its decision on sharing digital-only ticketing for this match, following widespread criticism from Celtic supporters. The initial policy, which blocked ticket transfers entirely, caused uproar among those who depend on that kind of flexibility.
- Reports: eyeing up a move for Stoke City’s Dutch winger Million Manhoef.
- Brendan Rodgers says he will “fight to the very end” to try to keep Greg Taylor at the club, with the defender’s contract due to expire this summer.
- James Forrest credits the “humble” nature of Celtic’s dressing room for the success this season, his 13th league title with the club.
- Ex-Celt Iwata nominated for England’s League One Player of the Season.
- Dumbarton and Inverness Caley Thistle successfully exit administration.
- Celtic have offered Greg Taylor, 27, a new improved, three-year deal to try to keep the left-back from leaving as a free agent at the end of this season
- Olympiakos will not exercise their option to purchase on-loan Luis Palma at the end of the season after the Honduras winger failed to fully establish himself with the club crowned Greek league champions.
- Women’s team: SFA president Mike Mulraney has initiated discussions on a shared stadium of between 3,000 to 5,000 spectators for Celtic, Rangers and Glasgow City’s women’s teams in a push to accelerate the growth of the game ahead of Scotland co-hosting the 2035 Women’s World Cup.
- UK supreme court ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex, in a victory for gender-critical campaigners against Scottish government.
- Hamilton Academical say they are “astonished” after a 15-point deduction for breaching league rules left them facing relegation from the second tier Scottish Championship.
- Inverness Caley Thistle sign Celtic keeper Marcus Gill on emergency loan
- Brendan Rodgers has defended Adam Idah and hit out at people trying to “expose” footballers after a video of the striker appearing to throw up in a taxi circulated on social media. Night out no big deal!
- Easter Monday (day after this match): Pope Francis passed away, RIP.
Summary
Celtic score four in 12 minutes at end of first half to overwhelm St Johnstone. McGregor flashes in from 18 yards & Maeda slides in soon after; Idah bundles in third before Maeda nets fourth. St Johnstone substitute Kirk has stunning strike ruled out after VAR review & Celtic penalty also overturned before Jota nets fifth. Holders Celtic will face Aberdeen in final on 24 May
Match Commentary on Maeda: “Never switch off while Maeda’s around!” (he scored twice)
Five-star performance
It took Celtic 34 minutes to break St Johnstone down, with captain Callum McGregor curling home a fine strike.
The cup holders then banged in three more goals in a devastating period before the interval, with Daizen Maeda getting a brace either side of Adam Idah’s close-range finish.
Jota clipped in the fifth, again from close in.
Celtic captain and player of the match Callum McGregor tells Premier Sports: “A lot of football to be played before [the final] so work to do. A win and five goals, can’t ask for much more than that. I was feeling good about arriving into the box and thankfully it went in. Started the scoring as well. After the game up there [at McDiarmid Park], it was a nice reminder that you have to stay on it. The demand is always there to want more and keep pushing.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tells Premier Sports: “The start of the game was why we kept the same team. The players were excellent.
“You have to be really aggressive in your press and thankfully we were able to do that.
“It was hot. You wouldn’t have wanted to play out there, but the players were brilliant and the concentration was really good.
“What we had to reinforce last week was what we’re all about. When you’re passive and play sideways, I don’t like that. They are an incredible group who want to improve and win.
“[Callum McGregor] is such a unique player with the balance he brings. Tactically he’s such a high level, he’s a coach on the pitch.
“We’ve got to keep it going and finish off what could be a fantastic season.”
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari tells BBC Scotland: “That’s what Celtic can do to any team in Scotland, they are relentless. No hard feelings, no excuses, we didn’t do enough good things to get anything out of it.
“I’m proud of my players, of course it wasn’t what we wanted but that was our 2025 cup journey.
“We can’t give silly goals away, because we don’t have the time or points to do it. That’s what we are working on.
“In the second half we showed character to express better than what we did for the last 15 minutes of the first half.
“There is no opponent who will help us. We own our own performance – there is no fear, we will go with full attack and see where we are.”
jbj712 of KDS:
One of the many hallmarks of Stein’s great Celtic teams was their ability to kill games by scoring quick doubles against other teams. The present side has taken that up a notch by scoring threes and fours in a short space of time like today.
Glad to see we kept going in the second half to reward that huge support we had at the game.
Well played everyone from the team to the manager to the support hopefully keep up this level of performance for the last six games.
Teams
Celtic
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
12 V. Sinisalo
03 G. Taylor
05 L. Scales
20 C. Carter-Vickers
02 A. Johnston, subbed for A. Ralston at 77mins
41 R. Hatate, subbed for Paulo Bernardo at 70mins
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain
27 A. Engels, subbed for L. McCowan at 64mins
38 D. Maeda
09 A. Idah, subbed for Jota at 63mins
49 J. Forrest, subbed for N. Kühn at 64mins
Subs:
29 S. Bain
28 Paulo Bernardo
10 N. Kühn
14 L. McCowan 79′, Yellow Card at 79mins
07 Jota
56 A. Ralston
15 J. Schlupp
06 A. Trusty
Goals:
C. McGregor (34′)
D. Maeda (37′, 45’+1)
A. Idah (45′)
Jota (67′)
Assists:
R. Hatate (34′, 45′, 45’+1), A. Johnston (67′)
St Johnstone
Manager: Simo Valakari
Formation: 4 – 4 – 1 – 1
01 A. Fisher
30 B. Douglas, subbed for T. Steven at 46mins
23 S. Sprangler
04 D. Balodis
37 S. Curtis
21 S. Duke-McKenna 58′, Yellow Card at 58mins, subbed for U. Ikpeazu at 75mins
06 V. Griffith
07 J. Holt
11 G. Carey, subbed for J. McPake at 68mins
10 N. Clark (c), Captain, subbed for M. Kirk at 46mins
16 A. Sidibeh, subbed for B. Kimpioka at 46mins
Subs:
09 U. Ikpeazu
27 M. Kirk
29 B. Kimpioka
24 J. McPake
20 R. Sinclair
19 T. Steven
08 J. Svedberg
44 E. Watt
Referee Calum Scott
Video Assistant Referee Andrew Dallas
Assistant Referee 1 Graeme Stewart
Assistant Referee 2 Dougie Potter
Fourth Official Steven McLean
Assistant VAR Official Alan Mulvanny
Venue:Hampden Park
Attendance:43,632
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
Overall possession
St. Johnstone 36% Celtic 64%
Shots
St. Johnstone 3 Celtic 20
Shots on target
St. Johnstone 0 Celtic 8
Goalkeeper saves
St. Johnstone 3 Celtic 0
Fouls
St. Johnstone 9 Celtic 16
Corners
St. Johnstone 1 Celtic 7
Advanced match stats
Shots
St. Johnstone 3 Celtic 20
Shots on target
St. Johnstone 0 Celtic 8
Shots off target
St. Johnstone 2 Celtic 8
Blocked shots
St. Johnstone 1 Celtic 4
Fouls
St. Johnstone 9 Celtic 16
Total yellow cards
St. Johnstone 1 Celtic 1
Goalkeeper saves
St. Johnstone 3 Celtic 0
Diving saves
St. Johnstone 2 Celtic 0
Saved shots from outside the box
St. Johnstone 3 Celtic 0
Goal kicks
St. Johnstone 11 Celtic 1
Articles
Five-star Celts book their place in Scottish Cup final
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/april/20/five-star-celts-book-their-place-in-scottish-cup-final/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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20 Apr 2025, 4:54 pm
Scottish Cup semi-final
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Hampden Park, Glasgow
CELTIC… 5
(McGregor 33, Maeda 37, 45, Idah 44, Jota 67)
ST JOHNSTONE… 0
Celtic cruised into the Scottish Cup final with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over St Johnstone at Hampden.
Inspired by captain, Callum McGregor, the Hoops swept their opponents aside in the sunshine to set up a cup final clash with Aberdeen next month.
Brendan Rodgers’ side pressed forward from the first whistle as they looked to establish an early lead, with James Forrest looking dangerous down the right flank.
And the Hoops winger had a couple of shots from the edge of the box, going close with a low effort from inside the ‘D’ which went narrowly wide.
With 25 minutes gone, Cameron Carter-Vickers looked to replicate his goalscoring heroics from last weekend, but his shot from 23 yards out went high and wide.
But with just over half an hour gone, Celtic took the lead through Callum McGregor.
The Hoops pounced on a poor goal-kick from St Johnstone, with Forrest feeding the ball inside to Reo Hatate. He, in turn, rolled it to his captain who surged into the area and guided the ball into the net with a precise left-foot shot for his 10th goal of the season.
On 37 minutes, Daizen Maeda doubled Celtic’s lead, with McGregor the provider, having played a one-two with Adam Idah before slotting the ball into the path of Maeda.
With a minute of the half remaining, Adam Idah made it 3-0. Liam Scales played a superb pass through the inside-left channel for Reo Hatate, and his clipped ball was nudged into the net from close range by the Irishman.
But the scoring wasn’t finished for the half, as Maeda made it 4-0 with his 34th goal of the season, firing a low, left-shoot shot beyond the St Johnstone keeper and into the net.
36%
Possession
64%
3
Shots
20
0
Shots On Target
8
1
Corners
7
9
Fouls
16
1
0
Cards
1
0
Celtic almost extended their lead after just three minutes of the second half when James Forrest flashed a low cross into the area, but Adam Idah couldn’t connect with the ball.
St Johnstone, who had offered no attacking threat, suddenly produced an effort from outside the area which produced a superb save from Viljami Sinisalo, although the offside flag was subsequently raised.
On 53 minutes, St Johnstone did have the ball in the net when substitute, Mackenzie Kirk unleashed an unstoppable shot from 30 yards out, but a VAR check ruled out the goal for a foul on Adam Idah in the middle of the park in the build-up to the goal.
The Perth side did have VAR to thank on the hour mark after the referee pointed to the spot for a foul on James Forrest, but he subsequently changed the decision following a VAR check.
However, the Hoops did make it 5-0 in the 67th minute. Alistair Johnston curled a great cross to the back post after being set up by Nicolas Kuhn and Jota knocked the ball into the net from a tight angle.
Daizen Maeda had a chance for a second Hampden hat-trick after his treble in the League Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen but his shot from just inside the area went over the bar.
And Maeda then combined with Jota, for the Portuguese winger to fire just wide of the target.
In the end, Celtic were comfortable winners as they took a step closer to retaining the Scottish Cup. Now, the focus returns to the league and the chance to clinch the Premiership title at Tannadice next weekend.
St. Johnstone: Fisher, Curtis, Balodis, Sprangler, Douglas (Steven 45′), Carey (McPake 68′), Holt, Griffith, Duke-McKenna (Ikpeazu 75′), Clark (Kirk 45′), Sidibeh (Kimpioka 45′)
Subs: Svedberg, Ikpeazu, Steven, Sinclair, McPake, Kirk, Kimpioka, Watt
Celtic: Sinisalo, Johnston (Ralston 77′), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, Engels (McCowan 64′), McGregor, Hatate (Paulo Bernardo 70′), Forrest (Kühn 64′), Idah (Jota 63′), Maeda
Subs: Trusty, Jota, Kühn, McCowan, Schlupp, Paulo Bernardo, Bain, Ralston
Brendan Rodgers names ‘special’ Celtic player and gives ‘aye it does’ response to tantalising treble poser
Mark Atkinson
By Mark Atkinson
Sports Editor
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/brendan-rodgers-names-special-celtic-player-and-gives-aye-it-does-response-to-tantalising-treble-poser-5091568
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Published 20th Apr 2025, 18:07 BST
Manager revels in prospect of landing third clean sweep at Celtic Park
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he and his players are supremely motivated by landing what would be a ninth domestic treble for the club after they steamrollered their way into the Scottish Cup final with a 5-0 demolition of St Johnstone at Hampden Park.
The holders were far too strong for Saints, with Daizen Maeda scoring twice and Callum McGregor, Adam Idah and Jota getting in on the act to set up a final showdown with Aberdeen on May 24. With the Premier Sports Cup already in the bag and just a point required from their remaining five league matches to win the Premiership, Celtic stand on the cusp of another Scottish football clean sweep.
Such a feat has only been achieved eight times in the history of the club – two of which have come under Rodgers. The Northern Irishman hailed the way his team put a St Johnstone team that beat them two weeks ago to the sword and expects his players to go all-out for a strong end to the season.
Celtic celebrate their 5-0 win over St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup.
Celtic celebrate their 5-0 win over St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup. | SNS Group
Asked if his team has a firm eye on the treble, Rodgers said: “Yes, I think it’s been such a long season with so many games. I think we’ve had one or two performances within that – which is natural – when we weren’t quite at our best. But what I’ve had with two years of this team is just making sure that mentality, you’ve got to keep pushing. It’s the time of the season when the trophies are there. Supporters want it, we want it. You’ve got to perform.
“So, we’re into another final. That was the big ambition from today. It gives us that opportunity against Aberdeen in a month or so’s time. But now we go into a little mini-league where we want to be the best in that little league. The next game is Dundee United to get a result to draw a line under the league. So, yes, a really exciting part of the season for us again.”
Rodgers could not hide the motivation of landing a hat-trick of trebles with Celtic. “Clearly,” he said if that was a driving factor. “Yeah it does, aye. 3.1 it’ll be as well! Yes, of course it’s nice when it comes to you as an individual.”
He continued: “For me it’s what’s best for Celtic. Us winning the trophies. It’s not so much the trophies for me on a personal level, it’s the hard work that goes into it. The values that are there and the idea of how we work and how we play and how we coach the players every day. So that’s what’s more important to me. But of course for the club, the history of the supporters, getting the trophy is key. So for us, we’ve got two more to win and we’ll recover and get ready to finish off the league.”
This was Rodgers’ 14th win at Hampden across all competitions and the manager explained that he treats every visit like his first. “I never get tired of it,” he said. “I know each game it’s harder because the teams are really motivated to win. But there’ll be nobody more motivated to win than me. To keep the club succeeding, demanding more from the players and our staff. And that’s why we have success. Nobody goes through the motions here, at Celtic. We’re not too carried away when we win. We have to keep our humility because we have to work even harder. But our ambition is there to win and win for this great club.”
Celtic’s ‘impressive’ performance
On the match itself, Rodgers praised the patience his team showed when dealing with St Johnstone’s low block. They kept trying to create a breakthrough and when McGregor’s opener came, they never looked back.
“Obviously St Johnstone made it really difficult for us in that first period and it is when you’re playing against that sort of man-to-man,” said Rodgers. “You have to work so hard to rotate and be flexible in your movement to create the space. But once we then did that for the first goal and we got the runner off the marker and Callum finishes, then from that we really set the tempo of the game. It was very impressive and a big applause to the players because they were so good in the game.”
Captain McGregor was named man of the match and Rodgers reserved special praise for the midfielder. “He’s just such a special player,” purred Rodgers. “I’ve had him in two spells now and managed him for so many games. He’s a real tactical decision-maker in the game. He sets the tempo for the team. He’s a coach on the pitch for me.
“He knows the patterns that we want and he identifies the moments when to step in because you’re playing against man-to-man, there’s little patterns that frees you up to be going forward and he’s done it so many times for me, especially here at Hampden where he gets such important goals.
“But the first one, he creates the second one and is just a brilliant captain of this club. He was so good today.”
Brendan Rodgers was delighted with his team’s performance.
Brendan Rodgers was delighted with his team’s performance. | SNS Group
For St Johnstone and their manager Simo Valakari, it was a challenging day at the national stadium. “It was a tough afternoon,” the Finn admitted. “Of course, it wasn’t the result we wanted. We’ve got no complaints. They came with relentless energy. We stayed solid for 30 minutes but made a couple of not so good decisions with the ball. They punished us.
“Celtic were still doing the same things at the end of the game as at the beginning. We did 30 minutes of things we were practicing then we thought: ‘Let’s try something different’. Boom – everything went out of our hands. We need to be patient and know what is working.
“At half-time the cup dream was gone. We only had pride to play for – for this club and our fans. I think in the second half the players showed that character. We deserved to be in this semi-final. It was a fantastic cup journey. Yes, we are sad, and we suffered a bit. But we need to freshen up and go again tomorrow.”
…
Captain delighted to help fire Hoops to Hampden victory
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/april/20/captain-delighted-to-help-fire-hoops-to-hampden-victory/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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20 Apr 2025, 5:52 pm
Callum McGregor set Celtic on their way to another Scottish Cup final with the opening goal of the semi-final clash with St Johnstone at Hampden.
It was the Celtic captain’s 10th goal of what has been another impressive campaign for him, and sparked a flurry of goals which saw the Hoops run out 5-0 winners on the day.
The victory over St Johnstone sets up a cup final clash with Aberdeen at Hampden next month, and an opportunity to retain the trophy.
It could also be a day when Brendan Rodgers’ side could clinch another domestic treble, should they seal the Premiership title, something the Hoops will be looking to do next weekend.
Those are considerations for another day, however. For now, McGregor is content to reflect on an impressive display at the National Stadium, which also saw him named Man of the Match.
Speaking to Celtic TV after the game, the Celtic captain said: “In the first-half it was very, very good – four goals and it probably could have been more as well, but the team started with that intensity again.
‘Semi-finals are always difficult. They come and make it difficult for you to break them down and so the first goal is always important.’
“Once we got the first one we started to click into gear again, and probably that 10-15 minute period before half-time takes the game away from St Johnstone.
“So it was excellent – ruthless in the way that we’re working. Another five goals and we arrive into a final and we’ll have that to look forward to at the end of next month.”
McGregor’s contribution in midfield throughout the season has been a key factor in the success the team has enjoyed, both domestically and in Europe, and that includes the 10 goals he’s now scored.
And with six games remaining of the current campaign, he’s edging ever closer to his best ever tally of 13 goals, which came in the 2019/20 season.
He’s also one of three midfielders, alongside Reo Hatate and Arne Engels, on 10 goals, a sign of the scoring contribution across the time.
“It’s nice, playing at the base of midfield, so it’s good numbers,” the Celtic captain said. “Sometimes you have those wee spells where you hit things and they just seem to go in, so it’s always nice to contribute.
‘Like I said, the first goal in a semi-final is always important.’
“That broke the deadlock for us and gave us a good platform in the game to go and finish it off, so a really good day’s work and we’re happy that we’re into a final.
“Now we can take care of the rest of the games and it’s obviously a big chance when we come back at the end of May to get another trophy.”
N
15:00 Sun 20 Apr
Celtic Crest
St. Johnstone
Manager: We showed our quality and ambition throughout the game
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/april/20/manager–we-showed-our-quality-and-ambition-throughout-the-game/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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20 Apr 2025, 6:01 pm
Celtic have booked their place in the final of the Scottish Cup after a resounding 5-0 victory over St Johnstone at Hampden this afternoon.
It was a commanding performance from the Bhoys straight from the first whistle at the National Stadium, and four first-half goals effectively ended the tie as a contest before the break.
Jota’s strike in the second half rounded off a five-star performance from the Celts, and, speaking to Celtic TV after the match, Brendan Rodgers praised his side for their mentality and quality.
“I’m so pleased for the players,” the manager said. “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.
‘The mentality is really good, 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 today. We dominate the ball, of course, but within that there’s lots of movement and rotation, and the players then find the quality to score the goals.”
With another cup final to look forward to, attention can now be paid to some of the incredible cup records within the Celts’ first-team squad.
James Forrest is chasing an extraordinary eighth Scottish Cup winner’s medal, whilst Callum McGregor is protecting an unbeaten run of cup finals which extends back to his Youth Academy days.
And, in the dugout, Brendan Rodgers has the distinction of having never been beaten at Hampden.
But for the Celtic manager, he says that before thinking ahead to the Scottish Cup final, the focus of the team will be on next weekend’s league match at Tannadice as the Celts close in on yet another league title.
He added: “Today was about getting to the final, putting on a performance that the supporters can be proud of and looking forward to another day here at Hampden.
“We’re there now which is great, so now the challenge will be to recover from today and then finish the job in the league next week.
“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.”
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cddem09vmlgt#Report
Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland at Hampden
Ruthless Celtic scored four goals in 12 stunning first-half minutes against St Johnstone to set up a Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen and remain on course for a record-extending ninth domestic treble.
Brendan Rodgers, whose own unbeaten Hampden run extends to 14 games, will bring his side back to the national stadium on Saturday, 24 May – live on the BBC – in search of a third consecutive Scottish Cup.
Celtic fans could confirm that date in the diary by half-time as they were already home and hosed following an utterly rampant finish to the first half.
Having penned St Johnstone into their own final third since the first peep of the whistle, the holders found their deserved breakthrough via captain Callum McGregor’s peach of a placed strike.
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From there, it was an onslaught.
The goalscorer turned provider, threading through a perfectly-weighted pass for the onrushing Daizen Maeda. It shouldn’t have reached him, but the sliding Sam Curtis skewed his interception, allowing the Japan international to slot in.
Adam Idah tapped in the third a minute before the break, with Maeda rounding off a menacing press with his 33rd goal of the season 90 seconds later.
Four goals in 12 minutes as St Johnstone went from dreaming to destroyed.
Simo Valakari’s side, who defeated Celtic in the league two weeks ago, would have been forgiven for wanting to hide in the changing room or head back up the road.
Instead, they were forced to suffer through a scarring second half, where Rodgers inflicted further pain by bringing on the likes of Nicolas Kuhn and Jota.
The latter squeezed in a fifth from the acutest of angles moments after an on-field penalty award for James Forrest was overturned by VAR.
That was the second time referee Calum Scott was called to the monitor after the break, after Mackenzie Kirk’s spectacular finish at 4-0 was reviewed, then disallowed, on a day that everything that could go against St Johnstone did.
Frightening Celtic on course for treble
Full-back Alistair Johnston said last week the defeat in Perth was a well-needed wake-up call for Celtic. Well, they were alive and kicking here.
When in such a frightening mood, no one can lay a glove on them domestically.
The speed they hit it, the ferocity they pounced with, and the intent they showed were all of the highest of level. It really was a matter of how many they wanted.
Maeda and Forrest ran riot down the flanks and there was a scarcely believable amount of space for the midfielders to work their magic.
To be able to bring on Kuhn, Jota, Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo with the game long done and dusted, is a luxury every team in the land must envy.
Rodgers’ remarkable record at Hampden was never in doubt of being spoiled, and should his side turn up in similar fashion next month against Aberdeen, you’d expect it would remain intact then, too.
Yet another domestic treble appears only a matter of 90 minutes or so away. Doing so at such apparent ease is quite the indication of their superiority.
‘Celtic having seven players on 10 goals or more is unbelievable’
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Celtic reaction, analysis & have your say
Reaction from St Johnstone camp & fan views
Outclassed, overwhelmed and punished
Since that potentially priceless league win at McDiarmid Park earlier this month, many feared for St Johnstone in this semi-final. Valakari’s side had poked the bear.
Though they expected Celtic to be fuelled by revenge, they couldn’t have prepared for the utter shellacking they suffered.
To put it simply, St Johnstone were outclassed and punished for any mistake they made on the few occasions they were in possession.
There will be moments in which Valakari and his players will have wanted to do better – intercepting the second and building out from the back better for the fourth – but all told, they were overwhelmed.
Though shipping five is far from ideal, there were genuine fears at half time that the scoreline could have read much worse for a side who have five games left to try and save their Premiership status.
What they said
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: “I’m very impressed. Once we got the opening goal, we go on and produce a brilliant performance.
“Today was about getting into the final and the players did that with a great performance. Our concentration level was very high, scored five and could have had one or two others.
“Five league games [left] and we want to finish as well as we can. It’s been a long season, the players have put in so much work – it’s been phenomenal.”
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari: “That’s what Celtic can do to any team; they are relentless. No excuses, we didn’t do enough good things to get anything.
“We can’t give silly goals away, because we don’t have the time or points to do it. That’s what we are working on.
“I’m proud of my players, of course it wasn’t what we wanted but that was our 2025 cup journey.”