St Johnstone 0 Celtic 5 as it happened and Maeda and his ruthless mates wipe the floor with the Saints

Simo's sad

Simo Valakari admits St Johnstone were sad and suffering after Hampden.

But the boss is adamant pride remains intact and his side’s fight for Premiership survival will be furious.

Valakari’s team were unable to repeat their top-flight win of two weeks previously over Brendan Rodgers' men as the cup holders ran riot to inflict a hefty defeat on the Perth side.

Yes, we are sad and we suffered a bit. But we need to freshen up and go again.

“It was a tough afternoon. 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.

“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.

“There were tactical things talked about at half-time, of course. But we had to show what kind of team we are.

“It would have been so easy to collapse. There was no other choice. The dream was gone, but the pride was there.

“The players who came on made me think a lot of things about how we’re going to go about these last five matches.

“This was a cup semi-final against a top opponent. I can’t predict the future but I have said it for a long time, we can do a lot of good things but our bad things are dragging us down.

“If we can fix that I believe our level is good enough to stay in this league.”

Saints had very little to enthuse about at the National Stadium and even had a potential 25-yard wonder goal from sub Makenzie Kirk unfortunately ruled out after a VAR check.

Valakari said: “Yes, there was some kind of shove but I feel for Makenzie. It was a beautiful strike. That’s how it is.”

The Finn did get a boost with the return of striker Uche Ikpeazu for the first time this season.

The Ugandan has been sidelined for 10 months having undergone three knee operations, but his return comes at a crucial time of the campaign with the post-split games looming and the scrap for survival now into the last stages.

Valakari said: “It was good to see Uche back. It has been very tough for him. For the team, we got to se what type of player he is.

“We need to understand one year is a long time without football. He’s healthy. Let’s see what happens with more training inside him. I believe he can help us a lot.”

Rodgers: McGregor is unique

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.

Simo sums it up

St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari has warned that Celtic can dismantle any team in Scotland in the same way after their 5-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat at Hampden.

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.

5 talking points

Celtic’s treble charge remains firmly on course after Brendan Rodgers’s side put on a five-star show to slap sorry St Johnstone out of the Scottish Cup.

The Perth side did well to stand firm in the face of relentless pressure during a one-sided opening half hour.

But strikes from Callum McGregor, Adam Idah and a Daizen Maeda double had them quivering four down at the break.

Substitute Jota wrapped up a fifth to complete a miserable afternoon for Saints - and keep Rodgers’ swaggering Celts on course for yet another clean sweep.

It was one-way traffic for most of the opening stages but St Johnstone appeared to be growing in confidence.

However, when Barry Douglas failed to find Stephen Duke-McKenna with a ball out from the back, his team soon found themselves deep in trouble.

Callum McGregor finally found the break through as he stepped onto a pass from Reo Hatate to curl round the forest of legs.

The captain then the heat up again three minutes later as he charged forward. Sam Curtis dived in trying to cut his pass out but when the ball broke to Maeda, there was only one result.

And it was game over as the Hoops add two more in the seconds before the break as Idah tapped home from Hatate’s cross, with Maeda squeezing another low drive past Fisher after more good work from his countryman.

Makenzie Kirk nailed a screamer past Viljami Sinisalo nine minutes into second half only to see it ruled out by VAR, who also intervened to chalk off a Celtic penalty initially awarded when James Forrest went down at the feet of Daniels Balodis.

Celtic did add another, though, as Alistair Johnston picked out substitute Jota for the fifth. Here's five talking points from Hampden Park

Celtic player ratings

VILJAMI SINISALO 6

Finish keeper could have taken a seat in amongst the Celtic support filling the stands behind the goal in the first half given how little he had to deal with. Beaten by a terrific Makenzie Kirk strike that was ruled out by VAR.

ALISTAIR JOHNSTON 8

Pounced on Barry Douglas’ misplaced pass out of defence and from there Celtic were off and running with the first. Fine deep cross laid the ball on a plate for Jota to get in on the scoring act.

CAMERON CARTER-VICKERS 7

Had to be on his toes on a couple of occasions to halt Saints’ breakaway attempts but a comfortable afternoon on the whole for the American.

LIAM SCALES 7

Preferred again to Auston Trusty but lucky to see VAR intervene to chalk off Kirk’s sensational 25-yarder after backing off the Saints sub as he lined up to shoot. 6

GREG TAYLOR 7

In the week the out-of-contract defender was offered an improved contract, he again showed why Rodgers is so keen to keep him. His ability to come inside to midfield a vital component as the Hoops threw a suffocating blanket around Valakari’s men any time they tried to break out of their box.

CALLUM McGREGOR 8

Had be foiled with couple of early efforts by the sheer number of blue jerseys in front of him crowding the Saints box but did well to pick his spot as the skipper swept home the opener.

ARNE ENGELS 7

Copped a couple of mild groans when he failed to pick out a Hoops jersey as Saints sat in but helped get the Celtic faithful cheering with a part in the opener which broke Saints’ spirit.

REO HATATE 8

Celtic needed some fresh ingenuity if they were to crack open St Johnstone’s stubborn resistance and they got it when the Japanese midfielder’s clever back heel carved out the hole that let McGregor drive through to score. Followed that up with two more slick assists before the break.

JAMES FORREST 7

Another start for the veteran winger after last week’s rare run out against Kilmarnock and another step towards surpassing Booby Lennox’s haul of 25 medals as he looks to become the club’s most decorated servant.

DAIZEN MAEDA 9

Goals 32 and 33 for Scotland’s leading contender for the player of the year gongs as he capitalised on Sam Curtis’ slip before sweeping another clinical finish past Andy Fisher on the stroke of half-time.

ADAM IDAH 8

Faced off the field headlines this week but played a key role on it with his lay-off setting McGregor on the charge for the second goal. Tapped home from Hatate to wrap up a commanding first-half show. 8

Subs

JOTA 5

Only on the pitch three minutes after replacing Idah when he tapped home No5.

NICOLAS KUHN 4

Took over from Forrest 18 minutes into the second half. No need to exert himself at that stage.

LUKE McCOWAN 4

On for Engles on 63 minutes. Kept it neat and tidy as Celtic sauntered to the final whistle. Booked for dragging down Steven.

PAULO BERNARDO 3

Slotted into midfield after Hatate was given a breather with 20 to go.

ANTHONY RALSTON 2

Given the final quarter hour after swapping with Johnston.

Callum McGregor serenaded

The skipper is saluted as he is the last man in Hampden doing some media work.

And rightfully so, he was bang on it at this stadium once again.

St Johnstone player ratings

Andrew Fisher - Safe hands early on but wonky feet and his haywire act led to others feeling the heat in attempting to distribute the ball on his behalf. 4

Sam Curtis - Manfully fronted up to Maeda in one v ones but at full stretch his sliding clearance at 2-0 and struggled from there on in. 5

Daniels Balodis - The goal hero from McDiarmid Park was lucky to see past the halfway line for long spells. His shove on Idah ruled out Kirk's stunner. 5

Sven Sprangler - Brilliant front post block early on but was caught snoozing as Hatate made him pay for the third. Badly exposed but VAR reversed the penalty call. 4

Barry Douglas - His goal kick in place of the keeper was seized upon for the opener and came up short in the battle of veterans against Forrest. Subbed at the break. 4

Graham Carey - Outmanned in the middle of the park and had no shot against tigerish Celtic baring their teeth as he toiled going back the way. 5

Jason Holt - Was part of the Rangers midfield which stunned Celtic nine years ago but ill-afforded the chance to look up, never mind pick out a team-mate today. 5

Victor Griffith - A bundle of energy and had early success clamping at the heels of Engels but the Hampden heat became too much to cope with. 5

Stephen Duke-McKenna - Another who tried hard, got physical and tried to stymie but found the going tough after the break. 5

Nicky Clark - The 33-year-old likely knew this wasn't the game for him to shine as the ball bypassed him on the fleeting occasions St Johnstone had it. Replaced by Kimpioka. 4

Adama Sidibeh - For a brief moment he engaged Carter-Vickers in a fight for the ball but he was mostly a spectator during his 45 minutes in the Hampden sun. 4

Subs

Makenzie Kirk - A cameo packed with gusto with the linesman striking off Sinisalo's stunning save to his cheeky flick and VAR ruling out a goal of the season contender. 7

Benjamin Kimpioka - Dovetailed well with Kirk and kept Scales and Carter-Vickers honest, went to the right of a front three in the dying embers. 6

Taylor Steven - Another who made the Saints better and gleefully got physical with both Forrest and Kuhn when isolated, a help rather than a hindrance. 6

Josh McPake - Replaced Carey in the final quarter but was reduced to firefighting rather than progressing the play. 3

Uche Ikpeazu - As imposing as ever but the former Hearts star was a late sub and works best when his attritional style wears the opposition down. 2

FT!

Easy as you like for Celtic.

Brendan Rodgers remains the king of Hampden, winning on all 14 of his appearances here.

This one was over before half-time with Celtic 4-0 up, and St Johnstone will be relieved they only conceded one after the break.

Now only Aberdeen stand between Celtic and another Treble.

Simo with the Mourinho

He got his handshake in before the final whistle.

Celtic get the job done and the celebrations show contentness rather than jubilation.

They will be back again next month as they go Treble hunting.

Celtic save the date

They will be back on May 24 to meet Aberdeen.

The Dons have suffered enough against Celtic at this stadium but will dream of a different outcome this time around.

Sub

Another change for Celtic.

Johnston off, Ralston on.

A familiar face

Uche Ikpeazu is on for his St Johnstone debut.

The mountain of a former Hearts striker was signed by Craig Levein but a serious injury means he's only fit to play for Saints now.

This is about minutes in the legs and nothing else for the big man.

GOAL!

Told you.

Jota, with virtually his first touch after coming on, arrives at the back post to meet Alistair Johnston's cross.

It's a fairly tight angle but the Portuguese is able to send the ball back across into the far corner for 5-0.

Thngs could get even worse for Saints as Celtic seem to have found a second wind.

Josh McPake replaces Graham Carey as Valakrari looks to do something to try and top the bleeding.

Jota scores and super fan hits the pitch

A young fan makes a beeline for the goalscorer and held his hands up as he headed back to the stands.

Security appear to having a pow wow at how that happened with a sea of stewards bypassing the young fan to stand in front of the ultras.

All a tad bizarre,

Comfy

McCowan tries to get in on the act with a low effort.

It's a bit of a trundler however and Fisher can kneel down and collect.

Bit of a lull in this one now, which is to be expected, but don;t expect Celtic to show any mercy if they can help it.

Tripe sub

That's the cue for Brendan Rodgers to ring the changes.

Forrest, Idah and Engels head off, on come Kuhn, Jota and McCowan.

No penalty Celtic

Again, Callum Scott is called over to the screen for a look.

He agrees with VAR that there's not enough in the challenge to award a penalty and the decision is reversed.

Penalty Celtic

A weaving run from Forrest takes him past a couple of St Johnstone players into the box.

A bit of a shove in the back from Balodis sends him to the turf and Callum Scott points to the spot, although VAR is just making sure...

Kirk denied

Listen, there's an alternative universe where Kirk was toasting a brace of brilliance - his offside acrobatic effort and long range pearler are signs of the player he is threatening to be on a regular basis.

That VAR call clipped the wings of the visitors now Celtic go hunting once more.

No Goal!

Callum Scott has been called to the monitor to check for an innocuous foul in the build up.

The ref agrees there was one and Kirk is denied an asbolute belter.

Thanks VAR, just what everyone wants to see.

GOAL!

Well, who saw that coming?

It's an asbolute stunner from Makenzie Kirk as Simo Valakari's half-time subs yield an immediate return.

The striker picks up the ball midway through the Hoops half, strides forward and unleashes and unstoppable effort into the top corner past Viljami Sinisalo.

Nearly 5

Idah inches away.

Forrest does really well to drop a shoulder and hits the byline before sending a teasing ball across the six yard box.

Idah should prbably do much better as any sort of contact means it;s in the back of the net, but he doesn't stick his foot out quick enough.

RESTART!

Celtic get the game going again.

Saints with a triple change at the break; Clark Sidibeh and Douglas make way for Kirk, Kimpioka and Steven.

This is how it feels to be Celtic

Domination on a mass scale as they eye a sixth Treble over the past nine seasons.

They, are for all intents and purposes, are two wins from that feat if they see out today's encounter with minimal fuss.

Half time!

Not much left to say after that to be honest.

Most predicted a heavy St Johnstone defeat and it's threatening to be one of their heaviest.

Once Celtic got the first goal, they just wouldn't stop coming.

Now, we've seen plenty of teams coast in these situations and take the second half off basically and that might be Simo Valakari's best hope.

That first 45 would have made for a worrying watch to any Aberdeen fans hoping for an upset or at least, signs that Celtic are losing their Hampden invincibility under Brendan Rodgers.

They absolutely haven't, on that evidence.

GOAL!

Oh dear St Johnstone,

This is quite the collapse form the Saints and the floodgates are well and truly open.

Again it's good work from Hatate, who pounces on another slack pass out of defence.

He bursts into the box trying to find a way through but drops posession off with Maeda.

From a standing start, he looks for options, but decides the best one is just to poke the ball beyond Fisher with minimal backlift.

GOAL!

Game over.

There'll be no taxi for Adam Idah as he taps home from close range to leave St Johnstone spewing.

Scales plays Hatate in behind and the Japanese lifts his head to square across the six-yard box, leaving Idah with the simplest of finishes.

This has turned into a processional fairly quickly...

Rodgers record set to stretch

That is his undefeated Hampden streak, which almost certainly will be 14-0 after today.

A record without compare as he aims to reunite with a trophy he has never missed out on.

GOAL!

And that should seal it already.

McGregor the architect this time, taking a lay off from Idah and sliding a pass inside the full back for Maeda.

The Japanese does what he's been doing al season, ope ning up his body and slotting past Fisher.

That could well have knocked the stuffing out of St johnstone, who will be keen to hear the half-time whistle now.

Fisher pays the price

A couple of risky through balls were intercepted but Alistair Johnston was too sharp qand his haranguing paid off.

The holders lead at Hampden.