Celtic managed to navigate past Livingston to make the Scottish Cup semi-finals on an entertaining afternoon at Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers had Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi to thank for his side’s progression to the last four, with the former scoring a hat-trick on his 100th appearance for the club.
Daniel MacKay and Tete Yengi gave the visitors something to cling on to in the tie; however, the Bhoys prevailed and will now face Aberdeen at Hampden on the weekend of April 20th/21st.
Speaking post-match, Rodgers acknowledged his side’s character to ensure they booked their place in the next round despite not performing to the best of their ability.
He said: “We got ourselves into the semi-final. You can see the players we had missing and the difference it makes to the team. But you’ve still got to show that mentality and drive and ambition to get there.”
Nevertheless, we move on from last Sunday’s events and look ahead to this weekend’s home clash against St Johnstone.
For at least a day, Celtic can leapfrog Rangers in the Scottish Premiership table, which will help to put some pressure on our rivals ahead of their trip to face Dundee the following day.
With the title race reaching its crunch phase, there is an opportunity for our core of players who have been over the course previously to come into their own over the coming nine matches.
John Hartson lavishes praise on Celtic veteran James Forrest
Veteran winger James Forrest came off the bench on Saturday to record an assist against Livingston; meanwhile, his experience shone through as he helped to maintain the intensity Nicolas Kuhn brought on the right flank.
John Hartson was thrilled to see the 32-year-old thrive in the latter stages against David Martindale’s outfit and went as far as to say that Celtic may not have prevailed if it wasn’t for his telling contribution.
Hartson stated [Go Radio Football Show]: “We spoke about the substitutions earlier and the fact that Celtic scored two late goals; if it wasn’t for James Forrest, Celtic potentially don’t win that game. He came on for half an hour, and he was outstanding.
“He really, really was; he’s given Brendan bit of food for thought.”
James Forrest still has a role to play for Celtic
Undoubtedly, Forrest is at an age where he may have to do with opportunities off the bench to impress; nevertheless, his know-how could be invaluable during the run-in.
The Prestwick-born man has made 19 appearances this campaign for the Bhoys, registering two goals and one assist in the process [Transfermarkt].
Looking ahead, his ability to engage defenders and maintain our ability to stay on the front foot could be a useful commodity to have amid our ongoing pursuit of a domestic double.
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