Celtic managed to see off a determined Livingston side to book their place in the last four of the Scottish Cup last weekend.
Daizen Maeda’s hat-trick was the highlight of an entertaining day at Parkhead, helping to quell a fightback from the visitors courtesy of strikes from Daniel MacKay and Tete Yengi.
In the dying embers, Kyogo Furuhashi raced through to slot past Michael McGovern, creating a palpable sense of relief as the Bhoys ran out 4-2 winners in the end.
Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers wasn’t overly pleased by what he saw against the Lions, though he acknowledged his side did what they needed to do against a spirited opponent.
He stated: “Today we didn’t play well. Patches were okay. But we won and we’re into the semi-final, that makes me really happy.”
Now, the draw has been made for the semi-final stage, where Celtic face Aberdeen at Hampden on the weekend of the 20th/21st April, with full fixture details subject to confirmation [Celtic FC].
Of course, the Dons are now managerless following Neil Warnock’s departure; however, they are set to install a new boss during the upcoming international break, who will be assigned a difficult task early in their Aberdeen tenure at Hampden [Aberdeen FC].
Heart of Midlothian take on Rangers in the other tie, setting up the prospect of an entertaining couple of days at the national stadium.
James McFadden says Celtic can be satisfied with cup win
It wasn’t always an easy watch against Livingston; however, Celtic got the job done and have a showpiece occasion at Hampden to look forward to against Aberdeen.
Speaking live on BBC Scotland during Greenock Morton vs Heart of Midlothian, former Scotland international James McFadden opined that there was plenty for Rodgers to be satisfied with amid his side’s victory over David Martindale’s outfit.
He also indicated that Celtic would hope to reach a greater level of consistency by the time the semi-final rolls around, as he stated: “They’re through, they should be satisfied that they’re through, what I will say is, the two goals from Livingston are top-class.
“Coming back as well from being a goal down on both occasions, tremendous, but for Celtic, get through the tie.
“They have had a problem where they’re maybe not playing at their free-flowing best, but get through the tie, look forward to the draw (said before the draw) and they’ll be hoping they’re in better form for the semi-finals and the run-in for the league as well.”
Undoubtedly, there were noticeable deficiencies in Rodgers’ backline during last Sunday’s encounter; however, the Irishman can be pleased by his side’s ability to cut open the Lions in attack, which can only bode well for our remaining Scottish Premiership matches.
If we can eradicate our unpredictable nature at the back, there is every chance the Bhoys could still enjoy a successful campaign amid their ongoing pursuit of a domestic double.
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