'It's Up There In Terms Of The Result - You Can't Ask For Any More'

'It's Up There In Terms Of The Result - You Can't Ask For Any More'

A DELIGHTED Brendan Rodgers couldn’t ask anymore of his players after Sunday’s derby demolition of Rangers at Hampden. On the big occasion, Celtic once again delivered, emphatically brushing their city rivals aside 4-0 to book their place in the Scottish Cup final and keep their ambition of back-to-back trebles alive.

From the moment the first whistle sounded at the National Stadium, the Hoops took control and fully merited their two-goal advantage at the interval, which came courtesy of fabulous finishes from Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor.

The second half was a repeat performance. After Ross McCrorie saw red for hauling back Moussa Dembele in the box, the Frenchman calmly converted from the spot. His compatriot, Olivier Ntcham, inflicted further punishment on the beleaguered Ibrox side with a late penalty following a foul on substitute, Patrick Roberts.

It was a memorable day for the manager, the club and the Celtic supporters, who can now look forward to returning to Hampden in May for the showpiece against Motherwell. And the Irishman was proud of his charges for producing such a dominant display on the big stage when the stakes were so high.

“For us all - supporters, players and staff it was a great day,” the he told the View in an exclusive interview. “You come to semi-final games, which are very pressured games, but we started with a nice composure and we were very good in our possession. They played a slightly different system which opened up the flanks a bit.

“The first goal was really important in the game. In our last game against Rangers we showed that we can come back, but the first goal was always going to be critical for us and it was an outstanding piece of skill from Tom Rogic. That got us a foothold in the game and from then we controlled large parts and got another very good second goal.