Celtic now know they will face Rangers in the Scottish Cup final following a dramatic victory over Aberdeen in the last four.
Nicolas Kuhn, James Forrest, and Matt O’Riley got on the scoresheet in normal or extra time before Joe Hart produced some magnificent exploits during the penalty shootout to save Killian Phillips’ spot-kick, ensuring the Bhoys booked their place in the last two by a whisker.
Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers wasn’t fazed by the manner in which his side ensured they had a return date at Hampden, simply expressing in his post-match press conference that he was happy to be involved.
He stated: “I need a therapy session after that. What a game for neutrals watching. Credit both teams, Aberdeen did fantastic – they had nothing to lose but came and played really well – we had to dig in after a slow start. I’m just happy to be in the final.
Of course, there is the reality that some aspects of our performance may serve as a wake-up call regarding our Scottish Premiership title hopes, and Celtic will need to tighten up defensively to avoid any awkward scenarios during our post-split run-in.
Despite this, getting over the line by any means necessary was the mantra for the Bhoys against Aberdeen, which they managed to achieve by holding their nerve when it mattered.
Liam Scales on the disappointment that fuelled Aberdeen victory
Republic of Ireland international Liam Scales played all 120 minutes at Hampden against his former club in a match that ebbed and flowed in either direction during proceedings.
Speaking to popular YouTube figure Sam North, also known as the man behind Footy Adventures, the 25-year-old admitted that our early Scottish League Cup exit against Kilmarnock last August played a part in fuelling motivation for the dramatic victory over Aberdeen.
He explained about the game itself: “Yeah, it was mad; it was a mad game, probably a brilliant game for the neutral, but Aberdeen were really good the first half.
“It probably felt like they were maybe the better side in the first half, and we started to control the game a bit more in periods, but it was just open, it was up and down, and it’s just great to come out on top in a game like that.”
Scales then added on avenging the Hoops’ previous cup disappointment: “100%, we want to win every trophy that’s available to us, so that’s obviously bitterly disappointing we were out early in the League Cup, and this is massive for us to, I suppose, make up for that.”
Celtic needed to put themselves in the hat to win the Scottish Cup and did so despite serving up a few heart-in-mouth moments along the way.
For the first time since 2002, Rangers lay in wait next month as both sides of the Glasgow divide look to add silverware to their respective cabinets.
Rodgers extended his winning run in the competition to 16 victories on the trot last Saturday, and the Irishman will be desperate to go one further, providing a photo finish to a rollercoaster campaign.