Celtic secured their place in the Scottish Cup final against Hearts after two big goals from Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi.
There was plenty of pressure on the Hoops going into the game after four competitive matches without a victory. However, after scoring five goals in their last three games, Neil Lennon’s men again looked imperious going forward when it mattered.
Aberdeen went into this one full of confidence after last weekend’s 3-3 draw between the sides at Pittodrie. McInnes said afterward that the stalemate left him even more confident that his side could topple the Hoops today (Press and Journal).
This was by no means a one-man show from the Bhoys however as they proved McInnes’ confidence was misplaced. Lennon will be keen to express how this result and performance was a team effort this afternoon. But here, we try to break down who impressed the most in any case.
So let’s delve in and have a look at the player ratings on a big day for the club:
Scott Bain – 6
Bain was selected over Vasilis Barkas for the third consecutive game, but despite being busy in Lille on Thursday night, the shot-stopper didn’t have a single one to make in this match. Good ball-handling throughout and dominated his penalty area well.
Jeremie Frimpong – 7
So lively. Started slowly but once Celtic started upping the tempo, he was up and down that right side and causing Matty Kennedy/Andrew Considine all sorts of problems. A bit easily beat defensively in the early stages, but that habit waned as the game wore on as he kept Kennedy in check.
Shane Duffy – 7
Much better from Duffy today. Up against Sam Cosgrove, he showed he has what it takes for the physical battle. Won all of his aerial duels and didn’t put a foot wrong. Headed away plenty that came into Celtic’s penalty area. Didn’t try anything overly-ambitious either.
Nir Bitton – 6.5
Done brilliantly in the opening minutes to block a back-post Sam Cosgrove header. Gave away two sloppy balls in the second that didn’t come to anything. Was composed for the most part and didn’t give anything else to the opposition.
Diego Laxalt – 7.5
Superb again. When you talk about ball-retention, you simply don’t seem to get a more confident defender than him. Happy to receive the ball under pressure and find Celtic an out-ball. Always looking to contribute going forward and played some key passes into the central attacking areas. Just isn’t making any mistakes.
Scott Brown – 6
Did his job without ever needing to be spectacular. Made some decent interceptions and anchored the midfield comfortably. Didn’t try to be over-elaborate, and instead just gave it to either the wide men or the attacking midfielders. This is the kind of quiet display you want from him when our attacking players are doing the business.
Callum McGregor – 7
Very good this afternoon. Full of energy all around the midfield and, like his midfield partner, provided a link between defence and attack. Combined well with the likes of Elyounoussi and Christie, whilst he showed brilliant ball-retention all game. Fine performance from McGregor.
Ryan Christie – 8
Put his stamp on the game with a wonderful curling opener when the contest was evenly-matched. Constantly buzzing around the penalty area and showed great control in tight areas. Set up Odsonne Edouard for a brilliant chance in the early stages that the striker should’ve buried. Made the difference today.
Tom Rogic – 8
Two assists against Aberdeen last week for Rogic and two more today. Layed off Christie for his stunner before putting a delicious cross to the back post for Elyounoussi to slam home. Showed touches of class to turn the opposition and get them on the back foot, but looked to be more and more tired as the game wore on. He’s racking up some impressive numbers.
Mohamed Elyounoussi – 7
His combination play in the first half was brilliant as he linked with Edouard really well. Got himself into a great area to score our second goal, and showed some real bravery to throw himself towards it. Started to misplace passes in the second 45 and still looks a little overly-reliant at times on his right foot. Even so, another productive performance from him.
Odsonne Edouard – 6.5
Led the line well today on his return to the starting XI. Played a part in goal number two with his through ball to Rogic, and won Celtic several free-kicks as he bossed an Aberdeen defence who didn’t know how to handle him. Missed a glorious chance in the first half and didn’t get too many sniffs of goal afterward. You could see the difference he made today.
The Subs
Albian Ajeti – 4: On for the final 15 minutes or so and showed some decent touches.
Leigh Griffiths 4: Almost identical to the above. Had a chance late on as Celtic countered the Dons but decided to run the ball into the corner.
Olivier Ntcham 2: Thrown on even later but not enough time to make an impact.
Hatem Elhamed 2: Returned from injury for the final minutes.
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