Substitute Tom Rogic’s sensational stoppage-time winner gave Celtic a 2-1 William Hill Scottish Cup final success over Aberdeen and clinched an historic treble for the Hoops.
In an open and thrilling encounter at Hampden Park, winger Jonny Hayes volleyed the Dons into the lead in the ninth minute only for Parkhead midfielder Stuart Armstrong to level two minutes later.
Celtic grew stronger as the second half went on and Rogic – a first-half replacement after Kieran Tierney had teeth smashed by Jayden Stockley’s arm – glided into the box before finishing inside the near post as Brendan Rodgers’ side completed the whole domestic season unbeaten with the club’s first treble since 2001.
CRAIG GORDON – Opted to parry several first-half shots and got them to safety and made a brilliant stop from Graeme Shinnie’s long-range drive which skidded on the wet surface. 7 (out of 10)
MIKAEL LUSTIG – Became more influential as the game wore on as Celtic changed their tactics to push him forward. 6
JOZO SIMUNOVIC – A typically strong performance in central defence. 7
DEDRYCK BOYATA – Missed a free header but defended well. 7
KIERAN TIERNEY – A painful afternoon for the left-back who had his teeth smashed by Jayden Stockley’s flailing arm and forced off in real pain. 6
SCOTT BROWN – Relished the hard-fought midfield battle and broke up play well after dropping deeper in the second half. 7
STUART ARMSTRONG – Levelled two minutes after Jonny Hayes’ opener with a brilliant 20-yard strike which dipped in the corner. Constantly threatening with the ball at his feet. 8
PATRICK ROBERTS – A quiet first half when he struggled to find space or possession but moved inside to good effect in the second half and hit the post with an excellent piece of play. 7
CALLUM McGREGOR – Made a decent start in midfield but then moved to left-back. Mistake let Aberdeen in but it went unpunished and he continued to contribute in the opposing half. 7
SCOTT SINCLAIR – Always looked likely to get in behind the Dons but missed a string of good chances. 7
LEIGH GRIFFITHS – Lapse of concentration allowed Jonny Hayes a free strike at the opening goal but was a lot more effective going forward, coming close on numerous occasions and brilliantly setting up Sinclair twice. 8
SUBS
TOM ROGIC (for Tierney, 27) – Showed some good touches but saved the best till last with a skilful run and finish to clinch the treble. 7
ERIK SVIATCHENKO (for Roberts, 90) – Brought on to see out the closing moments.
JOE LEWIS – Made great stops from Leigh Griffiths and Scott Sinclair. 7
SHAY LOGAN – Could possibly have done better to close down Armstrong as he netted and lost Sinclair a few times. 5
ASH TAYLOR – Had one of his best games for Aberdeen, a real force in the Dons’ central defence. 8
MARK REYNOLDS – Helped keep Celtic out for much of the game, showed why he has been selected for Scotland. 7
ANDREW CONSIDINE – Dealt as well as anyone has recently with the in-form Roberts, who had to drift inside to do any damage. 7
GRAEME SHINNIE – The newly-appointed captain put in an inspirational display in central midfield and came close to a spectacular winner. 8
RYAN JACK – There were no doubts about his commitment in his final game. 7
JONNY HAYES – Started well and hit a well-struck opener, helped put Celtic on the back foot on several occasions. 7
KENNY McLEAN – Put in some great balls which had no takers, he could have had an open goal if he had just delayed his run to meet a Hayes square ball for another split-second. 7
NIALL McGINN – The Northern Ireland international delivered an excellent corner for the opener. 6
JAYDEN STOCKLEY – Picked ahead of top goalscorer Adam Rooney, but the striker only made his mark on Tierney’s face. Sent off in his previous game for reckless use of the arm, he caught the Scotland full-back with his arm as he turned with real force. 5
SUBS
ADAM ROONEY (for Stockley, 62) – Never got a clear chance after coming off the bench. 5
ANTHONY O’CONNOR (for McGinn, 75) – Another central midfielder as Celtic began to dominate , he could not stem the tide. 5
Provided by Press Association
