Scottish Cup

The Hampden crowd thought they had seen it all following a dramatic 3-3 draw between Celtic and Aberdeen, until Hart stepped up to take his side’s fifth penalty of the shoot-out at 4-3 up.

The former England goalkeeper, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Friday, hit the post himself before Aberdeen took the game into sudden death.

But Hart had the final say by saving Killian Phillips’ spot-kick to earn a 6-5 shoot-out win and set himself up to close the curtain on his career with a final against Rangers or Hearts on May 25.

Rodgers said: “We were going through it in the last couple of days and he was one of the designated takers, for the fifth one.

“I think he is trying to get it as wide as he can, he sees their goalkeeper (Kelle Roos) is injured, he is trying to move him as much as he can in the goal.

“But he lets it go and comes up and makes the crucial save for us.

“Joe is very upbeat and positive. I always say to players to take risks, and he is a very good penalty taker, we see it in training.

“He has taken it, he has missed it, but he didn’t get down on himself, and ended up being the hero.”

An afternoon of drama started in two minutes when Bojan Miovski fired Aberdeen ahead.

Nicolas Kuhn levelled after stand-in Aberdeen skipper Angus MacDonald was caught in possession and James Forrest looked to have won the game for Celtic after scoring 90 seconds after coming off the bench.

But Ester Sokler headed home in the 90th minute and MacDonald equalised in the 119th minute from a near identical goal after Matt O’Riley had fired Celtic back in front in extra-time.

Rodgers, who maintained his perfect Hampden record on his 10th visit, said: “It was a fantastic game. I said to the players, we don’t need football sessions over the next couple of days, we need therapy sessions after that. It will stand us in good stead going forward.

“Listen, it is part of the game, if you don’t close it out, then that can happen.

“We had to put it to one side, once we went to extra-time, and then didn’t quite see it through and then you have to focus on penalties, and what we worked on in the last couple of days. The players just had to commit to their side of the goal and they did that very well.”

Peter Leven missed the chance to lead Aberdeen out at Hampden in his final game as caretaker manager before the summer arrival of Jimmy Thelin, but his introduction of Sokler and Junior Hoillet, who set up two goals, sparked much of the drama.

Leven said: “The boys were brilliant and gave us everything. We had very good chances against a very good Celtic team. I am gutted but proud of the boys.”

Aberdeen had two notable penalty claims, once when Liam Scales was ruled to have handled just outside the box and a later one when Hoilett was felled by Cameron Carter-Vickers only to be penalised for an aerial challenge seconds earlier.

Leven said: “The fourth official said to me ‘it’s a penalty but there might have been a collision before that’, so they were checking that first. They gave the foul.”

Hart was not the only goalkeeper to be at the centre of drama in the shoot-out. Roos went down and needed treatment after the first seven penalties were scored, before Ryan Duncan hit the post following a long delay to set up Hart’s first chance to win it.

“I think he got cramp,” Leven said of his keeper. “We were trying to tell Ryan to get away from Joe Hart, I don’t know if Joe Hart was trying to get into his head. But two academy graduates, Ryan Duncan and Jack Milne, stepping up to take a penalty; I am proud of them.”

The showpiece occasion was played against the backdrop of mounting speculation around Tottenham’s interest in Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou, who again had Kyogo Furuhashi to thank for his contribution.

The Japan striker struck for the 34th times this season in the 38th minute of an otherwise nondescript first half to undo the good early work of Billy Dodds’ rank outsiders.

The Championship outfit, who had not played a competitive game for a month, fell further behind when Hoops’ half-time substitute Liel Abada slid in a second in the 65th minute.

Caley substitute Dan MacKay pulled a goal back with five minutes remaining, only for Portuguese winger Jota to restore Celtic’s two-goal advantage as the game slipped into six minutes of added time.

It is the eighth time Celtic had completed the clean sweep of League, League Cup and Scottish Cup – a world record – and now eyes turn to see what the future holds for Postecoglou, who is the fifth Parkhead manager to win the treble.

A saved Joe Newell penalty along with plenty of missed chances led to a frustrating afternoon for the Premiership side before Doidge rose highest to grab the winner in the 69th minute.

Lewis Stevenson returned to the starting line-up as Nick Montgomery made three changes from their last outing before the winter break against Motherwell alongside James Jeggo and Rudi Molotnikov.

Roberto Nditi and Josh Skelly came in for the Station Park side as Ray McKinnon played a 4-5-1 with the hope of catching his opponents on the break.

Hibs were under the cosh immediately and were given a fright twice within quick succession on three minutes. An Andy Munro knockdown was smashed goalwards by Seb Ross, forcing David Marshall to clip the ball past the left-hand post, before a Stuart Morrison header from the subsequent corner smacked off the right post.

Forfar continued to be in the ascendancy in the opening exchanges with Ross swinging a corner towards Matty Allan that was cleared off the line by Doidge before Mark Whatley fired over.

The Easter Road outfit started to threaten as the half progressed when a Jair Tavares cross found Molotnikov who steered his header wide.

The Edinburgh club were huffing and puffing for that elusive opener and were awarded a penalty on 31 minutes after Nditi fouled Stevenson inside the area. Newell stepped up from 12 yards but a superb save from Marc McCallum denied the Hibs playmaker.

After an underwhelming opening half, Hibs looked to create a spark just a few minutes after the restart as Elie Youan played the ball across goal for Doidge but it evaded the Englishman.

Despite a difference of three leagues between the sides, the hosts almost broke the deadlock on 57 minutes with Ross flashing an effort narrowly wide.

The opener finally came on 69 minutes for the Premiership side. A Tavares free-kick from the left gave the home defence problems and Doidge jumped above McCallum to guide his header into an empty net.

The Jambos looked set for a smooth afternoon against their Edinburgh counterparts when Kenneth Vargas opened the scoring in the 13th minute but a stunning equaliser from James Craigen had the part-time hosts dreaming of a famous result.

Centre-back Kent, however, picked the perfect moment to score his first goal for the Jambos to secure a 2-1 victory and spare his team-mates and manager Steven Naismith from what would have been stinging criticism.

Gordon, playing his first match since suffering a career-threatening double leg-break on Christmas Eve of 2022, was handed the captaincy on his return, with Lawrence Shankland – skipper in the goalkeeper’s absence – missing out through injury.

Hearts’ new right-back Dexter Lembikisa, who joined on loan from Wolves earlier this month, was named among the substitutes and would come on in the 59th minute.

Gordon had such a comfortable opening to proceedings that by the time he first touched the ball his team had already moved into a 13th-minute lead through Vargas.

The Costa Rican forward was perfectly stationed at the back post to nod in from six yards out following an inswinging cross from the left by Alan Forrest.

Hearts dominated possession early on but Gordon was called into action in the 21st minute when he acrobatically tipped over a powerful, swerving 20-yard strike from Callum Booth.

The Jambos remained on top, however, and Forrest saw a couple of low shots from the edge of the box in quick succession saved by Spartans keeper Blair Carswell, whose father Allan was the Hearts goalkeeping coach when the Jambos last won the Scottish Cup 12 years ago.

At the other end, a promising attack brought a rare sight of goal for Spartans but Jamie Dishington shot high over from 25 yards out.

Vargas looked set to double his tally just before the break when he got on the end of a lovely clipped cross from Alex Cochrane in a central position 10 yards out but the forward was denied by an excellent save from Carswell.

The Spartans keeper then produced another impressive stop to keep out Vargas’s shot from the edge of the box early in the second half.

Kent then headed wide from Jorge Grant’s corner before Cochrane saw a shot from distance saved by the outstanding Carswell.

Hearts were made to rue their inability to find a second goal when Craigen volleyed home a magnificent equaliser from the edge of the box, with Gordon left rooted to the spot as the ball flew into his top right-hand corner.

With Spartans generally holding firm in the face of Hearts’ pressure in the closing stages, the tie looked all set for extra time until Kent nodded in Cochrane’s corner.

The enigmatic Gers striker slid in the opener after five minutes and then sealed the victory in the 78th minute for a 2-0 win, leaving the Tynecastle club still searching for their first win over the Ibrox side at Hampden Park.

For the most part, it was a far from sparkling performance from Philippe Clement’s side who have gone off the boil in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, Rangers will meet Celtic in the May 25 final at the national stadium by which time we will know which of the Old Firm clubs have won their cinch Premiership title race, which the Hoops are leading by three points with five fixtures remaining.

Both sides had a lot to live up to after Saturday’s epic semi-final between Celtic and Aberdeen which the Hoops won 6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw but in the event it had less excitement and less quality.

The Jambos had lost four times to Rangers this season, once in the Viaplay Cup semi-final at the national stadium, and had not beaten the Light Blues in their last 17 attempts.

The statistics – but not Rangers’ recent form – pointed to another Gers victory.

The Ibrox side went into the game with just two wins in eight in all competitions and the pressure was on Clement and his players.

The Belgian boss boldly omitted Connor Goldson, who had played in 48 of Rangers’ 52 games this season, with Leon Balogun, Mohamed Diomande, Rabbi Matondo and Dessers returning.

Hearts, sitting in third place in the league with one defeat in seven, showed three changes with Stephen Kingsley, Alan Forrest and Kenneth Vargas starting.

Dessers missed the first chance in the third minute when he knocked a cross from Abdallah Sima over the bar as Tynecastle defender Frankie Kent challenged.

However, when Gers midfielder Todd Cantwell set him up inside the Gorgie box he confidently dragged the ball to his left past Nathaniel Atkinson and steered it low past veteran Jambos keeper Craig Gordon for his 18th of the season.

The goal settled the Ibrox men but they suffered a blow after just 15 minutes when winger Ross McCausland replaced the injured Sima.

The change seemed to disrupt Rangers and keeper Jack Butland had to make terrific saves from Forrest and Kent in quick succession, although Kent appeared offside at his close-range effort.

The Gorgie side began to exert more control towards the interval, pushing Rangers backwards and in the 51st minute Vargas robbed hesitating Gers defender John Souttar on the touchline and drove into the box but there were enough Light Blue jerseys back to defend.

The Edinburgh side were in control.

Hearts brought on Dexter Lembikisa, Barrie McKay and Yutaro Oda for Forrest, Jorge Grant and Atkinson just on the hour mark before Fabio Silva took over from the ineffective Matondo, before Dessers could not set himself for a shot after taking a Cantwell pass 10 yards from goal.

In the 73rd minute Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland hit the side-netting with a header as the Tynecastle men piled forward.

However, in a swift Gers attack, Dessers settled the tie.

A powerful run by Cantwell had the Gorgie defence backpedalling and when he laid the ball off to the Gers striker his first shot was blocked by Gordon but he made no mistake when collecting the rebound.

With two minutes remaining Dessers set up Silva for a tap-in but the Portuguese attacker somehow managed to fall over the ball six yards out  before Butland made a fantastic save to ensure there were no late Rangers nerves, with time for Dessers to miss another opportunity on the break.

Maeda put Celtic ahead for the third time in the 86th minute to take his tally for the club to 27 goals after the cinch Premiership bottom side had twice equalised at Celtic Park through Daniel MacKay and Tete Yengi.

Substitute Kyogo Furuhashi was on target deep into stoppage time as Celtic sealed a 4-2 triumph.

Celtic missed both Callum McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers through injury, but they did just enough to seal a Hampden trip next month.

Carter-Vickers was withdrawn as a precaution after the defender’s hamstring caused concern in training, while Luis Palma failed to shake off a knock, which allowed Nicolas Kuhn to make his first start at Celtic Park.

Livingston also had injury issues to contend with, mainly in midfield. Jason Holt dropped out through illness and Andrew Shinnie with a groin problem, while the cup-tied David Carson joined Scott Pittman on the sidelines.

David Martindale lined up with full-back Jamie Brandon and winger Steven Bradley as part of his central trio.

Celtic had an early warning when Ayo Obileye hit the post, although Willie Collum blew for a home free-kick.

Kuhn had already shown flashes of promise before setting up the seventh-minute opener with an excellent cross from the right.

Right-back Michael Nottingham allowed Maeda to go but the forward was level when the cross came in and he took a touch before finishing from six yards.

Livi levelled five minutes later after Cristian Montano’s ball in between Stephen Welsh and Alistair Johnston put MacKay in behind.

The winger, who scored against Celtic for Inverness in last year’s final, had time to wait for the ball to bounce before curling into the top corner.

Left-back Montano undid his good work 10 minutes later when he dithered in possession on the edge of his box after Livi appeared to have thwarted a dangerous counter-attack.

Matt O’Riley won the ball back and Maeda stooped to head home after Michael McGovern had stopped the midfielder’s shot.

Celtic had chances to enjoy a more comfortable half-time break with Adam Idah the biggest cuplrit, making a mess of two shooting chances when he got in behind, although he forced a good stop with a header.

McGovern also saved well from Maeda twice before the break and both the Japan international and Idah failed to convert a low cross from Kuhn after the interval.

Yengi stabbed Stephen Kelly’s cross just wide before netting Livingston’s second equaliser in the 54th minute.

O’Riley was caught in possession by Brandon on the halfway line and, although the Celtic midfielder got back to hold up Yengi, the striker turned and curled a brilliant finish into the far corner.

The home support were almost stunned further moments later when Nottingham’s header was stopped by Joe Hart’s foot on the line.

Celtic took time to react and McGovern was equal to efforts from Johnston and Kuhn when they got going.

Furuhashi, Daniel Kelly and James Forrest – making his first appearance of 2024 – came on and the latter added a spark before being involved in taking the lead for a third time.

The winger fed Tomoki Iwata’s run beyond and the Japanese midfielder’s low cross was tapped in by Maeda.

The attacker almost got his fourth, but hit the crossbar from close range and Furuhashi was played through in the closing seconds to slot home, which was initially denied, before a VAR review overturned an offside decision.

The on-loan Hibs forward headed home in the 82nd minute of an entertaining contest to send the Lions into the Scottish Cup fifth round.

Mackay, who replaced the injured Cristian Montano in the first half, also set up Jamie Brandon for his team’s equaliser after Jack Hamilton gave Championship title hopefuls Raith the lead after only five minutes.

Rovers more than held their own against their top-flight counterparts, who also missed a first-half penalty through Andrew Shinnie, but the hosts showed great character to earn a much-needed morale-boosting win.

Raith came flying out of the blocks and had two good chances even before they broke the deadlock.

Lewis Vaughan got the byline and swung in a low teasing cross that Hamilton failed to bundle in from close range.

The pair combined again moments later as hitman Hamilton nodded the ball down to his team-mate but Vaughan’s shot from close range was repelled by Shamal George.

The Lions failed to heed those warnings and Hamilton opened the scoring.

Ross Millen lumped a long ball forward and the striker had time to chest it down before firing a low shot through the legs of Lions goalkeeper George.

Livingston finally began to settle following an erratic start but it was Raith who went close to adding a second.

Aidan Connolly launched a left-footed drive from outside the box just past the post.

Livingston then wasted a great chance to level from the penalty spot in the 21st minute.

Shinnie was brought down by Kyle Turner after dispossessing the midfielder.

The experienced midfielder took the spot kick himself but his effort hit the post and rebounded off keeper Kevin Dabrowski before rolling to safety.

But Livingston did level in the 33rd minute through Brandon. ]

Mackay, who only came on for the injured Montano minutes earlier, found the wing-back at the back post and Brandon lashed a shot past Dabrowski.

The action was end-to-end in the second half too. Raith had chances through Connolly and Callum Smith before Vaughan hit a free-kick over the bar.

At the other end Stephen Kelly should have at least hit the target from 12 yards when he connected with Mackay’s cut back but the midfielder fired well over.

Raith full-back Liam Dick then had a shot palmed over before the hosts grabbed the winner.

Kelly lifted a teasing cross into the area and Mackay headed a powerful effort past Dabrowski from six yards.

After surviving an early scare, the hosts broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time when Marley Watkins netted for the second time in as many matches.

The second half was much more positive for Killie, and they would eventually put the game beyond doubt when Danny Armstrong came off the bench to fire home and seal a 2-0 win with 10 minutes left.

McInnes’ side have lost just once in their last 12 matches – a run that has seen them rise to fourth in the cinch Premiership table.

“It was a tie we had to overcome and there are plenty of positives, getting boys minutes, the clean sheet and getting into the next round was clearly the most important thing,” he said.

“We get the all important goal just before half-time, the team talk was still the same but in terms of the outcome, I think it knocks the stuffing out of Cove.

“We had better control in the second half, we kept them from our box a lot more, though it still wasn’t without its challenges.”

Kyle Vassell thought he had grabbed a third in added-time when he lifted the
ball over Suman but the referee deemed that the goalkeeper had recovered to scoop the ball off the line.

McInnes claimed: “I think (Kyle) Vassell’s goal is in, their keeper has admitted it.

“We could maybe have had added to the scoreline but I think any additions would have been harsh on Cove as I thought they were good value in the game.”

McInnes feels his squad is in a good place as Kilmarnock continue to impress in both the league and the Scottish Cup.

The Killie boss made six changes from the side that defeated Livingston in midweek, including handing a first start to Kevin van Veen.

There were signs of lethargy in their first half display, though they were much improved after the breaking the deadlock just before the interval.

“There were one or two changes who deserved opportunity through their training,” he added.

“We move on to Celtic now, that’s one defeat in 12, we’re going along nicely.

“We need a few more wins to get top six and the next time the cup comes round, I hope we go into it on the back of some good league form.”

Paul Hartley has urged his Cove players to push on and claim a League One play-off place as they head into the business end of the season.

The Toonsers were more than a match for their Premiership opponents in the first half and should have taken an early lead when Rumarn Burrell had an effort cleared off the line.

Hartley’s side currently occupy third spot in League One, however, only two points separates them and fifth-placed Alloa.

“We’ve got to dust ourselves down and get on with the league business, our challenge is to get into the play-offs with 13 games remaining,” he said.

“It’s the business end of the season and we want to get into the play-offs, it’s a tight league and it’s tight for a top-four spot.

“We’ve showed what we can do against a quality team that are the fourth best team in Scotland at this moment in time.”

The Taysiders’ last outing was at the same venue on December 30 where a last-gasp leveller from captain Joe Shaughnessy in the 2-2 cinch Premiership draw took a point back to Dens Park.

The two sides also drew 2-2 in Dundee in September when Zak Rudden’s strike in the second minute of stoppage time for the 10-man hosts gave The Dee a share of the spoils again.

Boss Docherty, formerly a long-time assistant to Killie boss Derek McInnes, said: “To get anywhere in the cup you have to play difficult teams in difficult venues and I don’t think you would get a more difficult one outwith the Old Firm than Kilmarnock away from home, on their pitch.

“We’ve just played them in our most recent game so we know the task ahead of us and we know we’ll have to be our best and do a lot of things right to progress.

“We’ve got a really difficult game ahead of us. But if we apply ourselves like we had the previous two encounters against Kilmarnock – listen, it will be a terrific game, a really competitive match – hopefully we can edge it.

“The first game we played at Dens, I thought we were the better team until the sending off and then they took ownership of the game a wee bit, but we managed to recover with a true spirit I’ve got within the group.

“I thought for the majority of the game down there, certainly first half, we played really well.

“Again Kilmarnock, good side, a good manager, they came at us but we again come up with answers to get that that goal against them.

“It has been good games against them. It’s two very competitive teams with good players on show and I don’t expect anything different this Saturday.

“I know Derek well and he knows me. It will be competitive, two teams will be set up to go and win the tie and get to the next round.

“So for me, it’s the tie of the round. I know there’s other games being televised but for me it’s a tie  of the round, particularly with reference to the last two games that we’ve had.

“But as I said, there’s a lot of things that we’ll need to do right to progress but that the intention, to progress to the next round.”

Johnston is one match away from completing a clean sweep of major honours in Scotland five months after joining Celtic from Montreal.

McGregor is going for his 20th winners’ medal on Saturday when Celtic face Inverness in the Scottish Cup final and Johnston expects it would mean just as much for his skipper to again meet the demands and expectations of fans.

The 24-year-old said: “I know the extraordinary has become ordinary a little bit at this club with how many trophies they have lifted over the past decade. But still, for guys like myself, this would be my third-ever trophy in my entire career.

“And I know Cal is probably on 40 or whatever it is but even for him, when you see how much excitement and joy it brings to him and guys like that – James Forrest, I mean he might be on 50 for all I know – you can really tell how much it means.

“When you see that from the older guys who have been there and done that, especially as a new guy, you are like ‘okay, yeah, this is really big’. I am really excited and I would love to be a part of it.

“When you see over the past decade, not only the trophies but the trebles that have been won, you almost take it for granted a little bit that ‘oh, Celtic won another one, it’s not that big of a deal’.

“But now, being here and truly understanding and seeing the work that goes on behind the scenes and just the amount of effort that each guy puts in, it really rings true to me. It’s like ‘wow, each one of these is special’.

“Just because some guys have won a lot of them, it doesn’t make that next one any less special.

“I am just really excited to be in a position where I could potentially be walking out of here after six months with a treble. That is everything and more I could have asked for, but when I came in those were the expectations, that was what was put on me, it’s trophies or nothing.

“I am just really happy we are delivering for our fans so far but it will be a big match this weekend, it won’t be easy.”

Johnston’s appetite has been further whetted by seeing clips of previous Hampden success, including the penalty shoot-out that won Celtic the Scottish Cup against Hearts in 2020 to clinch the quadruple treble.

The Canada international said: “It gave you that hunger as one of the new players: ‘I want to be part of that, I want to leave my mark on this club as well’.

“As you get closer to these finals, some of those clips come up and it really puts things in perspective. You can just see the joy it brings to the fans and players. That’s something you want to be part of as a footballer.”

At one stage Johnston feared he would not be part of it after suffering a leg injury in a tackle on Rangers full-back Borna Barisic in the semi-final, but he fought back to fitness to play in the final match of the league season against Aberdeen last weekend.

“When I made the tackle, I thought it could be an issue,” he said. “Just because when I stood up and realised I couldn’t put any real weight on it.

“But the scans were better than expected and I have done a lot with the medical team, they have been unbelievable. They have been in every day pretty much with me doing the long hours because I made it really clear I wanted to be back, not only for the cup final, but I wanted to be back to be in contention for selection for the Aberdeen match because I wanted to be out on that pitch.

“You could probably see the joy it brought me being out there, I was loving life. Even though I got a bit tight, it was just precautionary to get me off.

“Now all the focus is on the cup final. I feel good enough to be able to go. I don’t think anyone is perfect at this point of the season.

“They are long years, a lot of matches, a lot of minutes on everyone’s bodies. But it’s a cup final, an opportunity to lift a trophy, and you can get through some pretty serious pain for that.”

Goals in each half from Miovski and Nicky Devlin eased Aberdeen into the fifth round after Connor Young had hit the post for Clyde.

Miovski opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with an instinctive first-time finish to net his 16th goal of the season.

The 24-year-old has been linked with several clubs but is contracted until 2026 and Robson believes he will continue to improve.

“The first thing we spoke about with him when we came in is we need to get your numbers up in everything you do – forward runs, diagonal runs, pressing stats, everything,” he said.

“He will probably cover double what he did in high-intensity running when we first came in and that’s incredible from him, because that’s what gets him the goals.

“He is enjoying his football and that’s the most important thing. He enjoys playing for us, we try and create a lot of chances for him and we just need to keep feeding him.

“What you have got to remember, everybody thinks that he wants to go and someone is going to offer this – he is in a really good moment in his career and you don’t want to jump too quickly. It’s a really important time for him and he is developing and getting better.

“Don’t try and harm that in any way. He is at a place where he is loved, with people round about him that can improve him, and he is still contracted and I think he is in a good place.”

Clyde manager Ian McCall felt his side acquitted themselves well.

“Aberdeen deserved to win but we didn’t allow them many chances,” McCall said. “It’s a really good finish from Miovski, there’s only (Lawrence) Shankland and Kyogo better than him in Scotland.

“We had the one that hit the post and a couple of chances to make it interesting. It would have been interesting if the one that hit the post went in.”

Naismith’s side were immediately handed a repeat of their Viaplay Cup semi-final, which Rangers won 3-1 in November, in the draw for the last four.

Hearts are looking to reach their fourth Scottish Cup final in six years, but Naismith and his players are determined to go one better and seal their first triumph in the tournament since 2012.

Naismith said: “Fortunately we have been in a semi-final before this season so we have got to use that. And we will look forward to it, you work hard to get through the rounds to get to the latter stages.

“We have had a good bit of progression since the last semi-final, we want to progress again and give ourselves a chance to win it.

“You have got to have that demand and hunger to win trophies and we are building that, so hopefully we can have a good day.”

Naismith’s side survived some pressure at Cappielow and advanced thanks to an angled drive from Kenneth Vargas in the 86th minute.

“Coming away from home at probably one of the toughest grounds you will go to, we know what it was going to be like,” he said.

“It was about taking the emotion out of the game and having a clear picture out of possession when they are going to be a bit direct – every throw-in, corner, set-play was going to get a reaction from the crowd. It was about understanding that and not panicking, which I thought we did really well.

“We should have scored earlier, but the key was patience. Our control of the ball, especially the second half, was really good, which ultimately led to three or four good chances.”

Hearts needed goalkeeper Craig Gordon to be at his best and the 41-year-old made three impressive saves to keep his first clean sheet since recovering from a double leg break.

“I’ve said it all along, he’s back to where he was before,” Naismith said. “He’s worked really hard, got a drive and his experience in coming for balls and taking the pressure off is invaluable. But it is brilliant to have two great goalies.”

Morton manager Dougie Imrie felt his side deserved to be heading to Hampden.

Imrie said: “I stand here extremely proud of them. At times we went toe to toe with a top Premiership team.

“They will know themselves they are lucky to be in the semi-finals. I thought we deserved to be in there, but unfortunately we just fell short.”

Morton’s focus now turns to staying in the cinch Championship’s top four and sealing a play-off place.

“We are in a great position,” Imrie said. “We have a tough game on Saturday away at Partick, but after that we’ve got two or three games on the bounce at home and we have to take advantage of that.”

Lawrence Shankland was yet again the key man for Steven Naismith’s side, with the captain bagging a brace to take his tally for the season to 24.

Shankland fired the Jambos in front and despite a positive response from the home side, the game was soon almost out of reach.

Kenneth Vargas and Calem Nieuwenhof both found the net to have the visitors on easy street with just 21 minutes on the clock.

There was a glimmer of hope for the Diamonds following Adam Frizzell’s glancing header after 34 minutes, but Shankland would add a decisive fourth with 17 minutes remaining to cap off an emphatic victory.

Craig Gordon returned between the sticks for the visitors, with Naismith making three changes from the side that defeated St Johnstone in midweek.

Jorge Grant and Craig Halkett were also handed starting roles, replacing Frankie Kent and Scott Fraser.

Arron Lyall made his first start for Airdrie since joining the club on loan from Rangers, the 20-year-old coming in for Liam McStravick.

The game began at a frantic pace and the home side forced three corners in the opening 10 minutes.

Hearts struck first in the 11th minute following a sweeping passing move that ended with Shankland powering home Alex Cochrane’s cutback.

Despite suffering an early setback, Airdrie responded well and looked to take the game to their cinch Premiership opponents.

Lyall’s cross almost caught out Gordon, but drifted just wide of the target, before Nikolay Todorov forced a wonderful close-range stop from the Hearts goalkeeper.

The Jambos survived a huge scare when Mason Hancock’s header from Charlie Telfer’s corner cannoned back off the crossbar.

Airdrie would be punished for not taking the chances that came their way when Kenneth Vargas doubled the visitors’ lead. The Costa Rican striker raced on to Halkett’s perfect through pass before prodding the ball past Josh Rae.

Suddenly, the Diamonds were facing a rout and they would concede again three minutes later after Nieuwenhof angled a low drive into the bottom corner.

Hearts were now cruising, though they would be dealt a blow when Halkett limped off to be replaced by Kye Rowles.

Alan Forrest worked Rae with a fizzing volley before the hosts gave themselves a glimmer of hope by reducing the deficit.

Hancock picked out Frizzell with a pin-point cross and the Airdrie skipper glanced beyond Gordon.

Rae denied Forrest and Dexter Lembikisa’s long-range strike either side of half-time as Hearts looked to put the game beyond doubt, but the hosts continued to demonstrate a threat of their own.

Lewis McGregor’s cross almost dropped under the crossbar with Gordon scrambling, and the introduction of Calum Gallagher for the final 23 minutes added an extra dimension to the Airdrie attack.

Any hopes of a shock comeback were extinguished after 73 minutes when Shankland was released by Fraser and the striker produced a typically composed finish to dink over the keeper.

Myziane Maolida broke the deadlock for Hibernian before Martin Boyle doubled their advantage and Elie Youan scored their third – a minute from time – to ensure the Premiership side are in Sunday’s last-eight draw.

Aaron Doran pulled one back in second-half stoppage-time for the Championship hosts, who rarely threatened to pull off a shock during the match.

Hibernian made three changes from their narrow 2-1 defeat to Celtic on Wednesday as Eliezer Mayenda and Luke Amos made their first starts for the club, with Maolida also brought into the starting line-up. Dylan Levitt, Dylan Vente and Youan were all dropped to the bench for Hibernian.

Inverness made two changes to the team that lost at Queen’s Park last week as Sean McAllister and James Carragher were brought in for injured duo Danny Devine and Alex Samuel.

The hosts went into the match with a poor home record in the league, with only two wins at home in the Championship all season.

Hibernian were gifted a chance to take the lead early on after goalkeeper Mark Ridgers sliced his clearance and the ball fell to Nathan Moriah-Welsh at the edge of the box.

However, a last-ditch tackle from on loan Leeds defender Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen prevented him from getting a shot on goal to the relief of the hosts.

Mayenda then had an opportunity midway through the first half when he was unchallenged at the edge of the box and fired a powerful drive, but Ridgers pulled off a great save to keep the game goalless.

Hibernian pressed for the opener just before half-time when Carragher did well to divert Jordan Obita’s cross out for a corner.

The ball then fell to Joe Newell at the edge of the box but he blasted over the crossbar.

The visitors eventually broke the deadlock – 10 minutes in the second half – when Comoros international Maolida, who is on loan from Hertha Berlin, saw his shot take a deflection off Chilokoa-Mullen.

His shot wrong-footed Ridgers, who could only watch helplessly as the ball flew out of reach and into the net.

They almost doubled their advantage minutes later when substitute Levitt fired a powerful low drive from the edge of the box, which forced another great save from Ridgers to keep the deficit at one.

Inverness came close to an equaliser midway through the second half when Max Anderson’s cross found the head of Cammy Kerr, but his header struck the crossbar.

Hibs doubled their advantage with 12 minutes remaining after Morgan Boyes miskicked a clearance, which allowed Boyle to pounce on.

The Australia international then charged towards goal and ran past goalkeeper Ridgers before firing into an empty net.

Hibernian killed the game at the death as Boyle charged down the right wing and played the ball in the box for Youan to slot home a simple tap in.

Doran did pull back a consolation for Caley in injury time as his powerful shot in the box flew past David Marshall, but it was too little too late.

The Easter Road manager was thrilled to land Maolida on loan from Hertha Berlin until the end of the season, with the 24-year-old attacker having been the subject of an £8million transfer from Lyon to Nice in 2018 and then another multi-million switch to the German capital in 2021.

The French-born Comoros international has lost his way in recent seasons but Montgomery feels the Hibees can benefit from the “massively talented” loanee’s desire to get back on track.

“Myziane’s had some big-money moves but we had honest conversations before the loan happened and he probably feels everything was given to him a little bit early,” explained the Hibs boss.

“Maybe at times he didn’t really grasp the opportunity. Now he’s really hungry to get his career back on track and for us to be able to attract a player like that speaks volumes for the club. I’m really excited about the impact he can make.

“A perfect scenario is a player that wants to prove people wrong. The reality is we don’t get a player of his ability on the budget we have unless he really wants to play for the club.

“He had a lot of options to go to England, France and Belgium but I spoke to him and explained what I wanted from him and I think he just has to get enjoying his football again.

“I think it’s really powerful to bring a player in who is a perfect age at 24 years old and wants to prove people wrong and get his career back on track.

“I knew this window was going to be tight (budget-wise) and that we would have to be creative to bring players like Myziane. He’s a one-off situation but we need to keep looking for situations like that.”

Maolida is unlikely to be involved in Saturday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth-round tie away to cinch League Two strugglers Forfar as he is still awaiting his work permit.

Another player on Hibs’ radar who is looking to resurrect their career is 26-year-old former Tottenham midfielder Amos, who has been without a club since leaving QPR at the end of the season.

“You don’t play 150-plus games in the English Championship unless you’re a good player,” said Montgomery.

“He’s had a couple of injuries and found himself not signing for anybody at the start of the season but he’s got himself back fit and he’s been training with Tottenham Under-23s.

“We were going to take him to Dubai (for their recent warm-weather training camp) but it was probably a little bit too soon so he’s up training with us just now.

“He’s a very good player and it’s very rare that you have a player of that quality who is looking for a platform to get back on track so we’ll have a look and see how that one goes.”

The Championship side had beaten cinch Premiership outfits Livingston and Kilmarnock on their way to Saturday’s Hampden Park showpiece but had finished sixth in the league.

Celtic proved too tough an opponent as goals from attackers Kyogo Furuhashi, substitute Liel Abada and Jota completed the domestic treble with Caley Thistle replacement Dan MacKay’s header a consolation.

However, MacGregor – a late second-half substitute for Scott Allardice – insists positives can be taken from the performance going into next season.

The 21-year-old midfielder said: “We went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country at the moment and in previous rounds we had beaten Premiership teams.

“It just shows that when we are on our game we can give any team a game and that definitely gives us confidence going into next season.

“We were disappointed obviously, it is never nice to lose in such a big game. It is not a nice feeling.

“Up against a team like Celtic it is always going to be tricky but I think we did reasonably well and limited their chances.

“We genuinely thought we could win the game and that’s the sign of a good dressing room and we are looking to go again next season and hopefully we have a fully-fit squad.”

MacKay, on loan from Hibernian, was pleased that Inverness proved the doom-mongers wrong with their spirited performance.

The 22-year-old winger said: “The boys can be proud of themselves. We put up a really good battle.

“Everyone doubted us and said it would be six or seven nil but we proved them wrong and showed that a Championship team that was midtable was more than a match at times for Celtic but they were clinical at the end of the day.

“If you get a goal you never know what can happen in these games. Pressure happens and chances come and go in games.

“We took our chance but unfortunately we never got another chance and Celtic were clinical.

“But we need to be proud, it was an achievement getting there.”

Asked about his future with Hibs, he said: “I don’t know yet. I wait to see what happens.”

The Dons led through an early Bojan Miovski goal but MacDonald’s mistake allowed Hoops striker Kyogo Furuhashi to race clear on goal, with Nicolas Kuhn finally levelling.

Substitute James Forrest put Celtic ahead in the 63rd minute before Dons substitute Ester Sokler levelled in the 90th minute.

Matt O’Riley fired Celtic ahead in extra time but MacDonald atoned for his costly earlier error when he headed in the leveller in the 119th minute to take the game to penalties.

The 31-year-old former Barnsley, Hull and Rotherham defender scored his spot-kick and while Celtic keeper Joe Hart hit the post with the Hoops’ fifth penalty, he then saved from Killian Phillips to ensure a 6-5 shoot-out win and a final date on May 25 against Rangers or Hearts – Hart’s last game before his retirement from football.

“I hold my hands up for the mistake because I gifted them a goal after 15 minutes,” said MacDonald.

“But to score the equaliser in the last minute of extra time then score a penalty, it was crazy.

“With the way the game had panned out I thought we’d go on to win it.

“When I scored it was a great feeling, especially for my family. But it just wasn’t to be.

“It’s 50-50 when it gets to penalties, isn’t it? The boys did well to get it that far and we had our chances to win it. On another day they would go in.

“We are disappointed for the fans today because they have followed us everywhere this season.

“We have to take the positives from the game, we can’t let our standards drop now.

“We have five cup finals now and if we can cause those teams the problems we caused Celtic we’ll be fine.”

The 33-year-old midfielder scored the biggest goal in Caley Thistle’s history when he burst forward from his auxiliary role at right-back to tap home in the 86th minute as his 10-man team overcame a late flurry from Falkirk to claim the old trophy in 2015.

But Vincent, who returned for a second spell with Inverness between 2019 and 2021, admits it took him some time to fully appreciate the importance of what he had accomplished.

“It really is the sort of thing you grow up dreaming of, scoring a late winner in a cup final,” Vincent told the PA news agency on the eve of his old side’s Scottish Cup final showdown with Celtic.

“It’s probably something that has become heightened over the years, partly by doing interviews like this. At the time I thought it was just another game to be brutally honest.

“I didn’t quite understand how it affected the lives of fans and staff. It’s only when you’re still getting messages from fans about the cup final all these years later that you understand how it impacted other people and that it was the biggest moment for the club they support.

“It’s probably something that I’ve come to realise over the years was such a big occasion and I’m so happy that I was part of it.”

Vincent was sent on by manager John Hughes as a 72nd-minute substitute to try and help Inverness – who were in the Premiership at the time – maintain control at a time when they led their second-tier opponents 1-0.

A red card for Caley Thistle defender Carl Tremarco just three minutes later, however, changed the whole dynamic of the match and Falkirk equalised with 10 minutes left.

Just as the Bairns looked set to turn the screw, the Highlanders broke away and won it when Vincent followed up to tap in the rebound after attacker Marley Watkins had surged from his own half and forced a save out of Jamie MacDonald.

“Circumstances on the day were crazy,” recalled Vincent. “We had ups and downs, a red card, people playing out of position, but I just took a bit of a risk towards the end and fortunately it paid off.

“When I came on, it was still 11 v 11 but Falkirk were getting a bit of a foothold. I went on for Ryan Christie to play in an advanced midfielder position but within three minutes we were down to 10 men and I got moved to right-back.

“John Hughes liked utilising us in different positions, which I felt was a strength of ours. The remit from there was to shut up shop, get to extra time and see if we could take it to penalties but I had the chance to break forward and I took it.

“A lot of the boys had played the majority of the game and were tired, especially when we were down to 10 men, but I had a bit of freshness about me and I was on the pitch so I just thought ‘I’ll have a go’. You don’t get to play in many occasions like that and I just took a gamble and kept going.

“I got myself ahead of the midfield line and it was only Marley up top and he managed to brush off a defender and get a shot away. I still think he should have passed to me but he had a shot and I was in the right place at the right time.

“Even though Falkirk were in the Championship, they had a really good squad and had been on the cusp of promotion for a couple of years. We were the favourites going into it but the tide turned when we had Carl sent off and we probably became the underdogs.

“It was tough, it was backs-against-the-wall at times, but we had a great attitude about us. I don’t think anybody expected us to finish the game the way we did.”

Vincent will be watching his former colleagues from his Glossop home on Saturday, hoping he will be joined in Inverness folklore by a new cup final-winning hero.

“It’s really nice to see Aaron Doran and Danny Devine trying to do it again,” he said of the two remaining members of the 2015 squad. “They’re the two boys, along with Billy McKay who I’m still really close to and still talk to quite regularly.

“Those lads will be really valuable to Inverness because they’ve got the experience. I think they’ve got a nice blend of younger and more experienced player.

“I’ll be watching on television as a fan and I’d love to see them have a go at Celtic and see where it takes them. If they do that and give it their all, nobody will moan regardless of the score.”

McGrath hit an early opener and rounded off the scoring during a comfortable second half for the home side at Pittodrie.

Graeme Shinnie had put the Dons two ahead and Kilmarnock could not make the most of the lifeline afforded by Danny Armstrong’s strike late in the first half.

Warnock had faced questions about his future ahead of the game after failing to net a win in his first six cinch Premiership matches. A run of 10 games without a league victory in total sees the Dons in third-bottom place and Killie have taken nine points off them this season.

But Aberdeen had not lost in 13 previous Scottish Cup meetings with Killie and the cups continue to be a bright spot in Aberdeen’s difficult league campaign, with the victory sealing a third trip to Hampden so far.

Aberdeen’s 11th-minute opener came as a result of a long ball from Stefan Gartenmann, which was just too high for Stuart Findlay to properly head clear.

Bojan Miovski’s backheel put Junior Hoilett in behind and McGrath was on hand to knock home the rebound after Will Dennis stopped the winger’s shot.

Kilmarnock responded well. The visitors claimed for handball in the box from Gartenmann but referee John Beaton and video assistant Andrew Dallas were both unconvinced.

Kyle Vassell volleyed over on the turn and both Liam Donnelly and Findlay failed to hit the target from free headers.

Aberdeen doubled their lead in the 33rd minute after Hoilett took a quick throw and crossed. Miovski laid the ball back for Shinnie, who had run off the back of Vassell, and the Dons captain sent a powerful strike into the roof of the net via a deflection off Donnelly.

Cheered on by a full away end in the 10,879 crowd, the visitors  got back into the game eight minutes later when Vassell got past Nicky Devlin and cut the ball back for Armstrong to sweep into the net first time.

Killie midfielder Liam Polworth hit a powerful shot straight at Kelle Roos before the break but the Ayrshire side could not maintain their pressure after the interval.

Aberdeen dealt well with some sporadic set-pieces and restored their two-goal lead in the 66th minute.

Left-back Jack MacKenzie overlapped and cut the ball back for McGrath to guide a shot home off the head of Findlay.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes had replaced David Watson with Fraser Murray at half-time but he waited until the 76th minute before looking to change the second half from his bench. Former Aberdeen pair Greg Stewart and Gary Mackay-Steven came on along with James Balagizi.

There was no immediate transformation and Dennis saved well from Miovski before McInnes made his last roll of the dice, bringing on Innes Cameron ahead of Kevin van Veen.

But there was no way back for Killie and Warnock received a warm ovation as he celebrated with his players on the pitch.

Hart hit the post with Celtic’s fifth penalty following a thrilling 3-3 draw with the Dons but the victory was only delayed. The 36-year-old saved from Killian Phillips to ensure a 6-5 shoot-out win and a final date on May 25 against Rangers or Hearts ahead of his impending retirement.

It was a semi-final that had just about everything. Celtic recovered from Bojan Miovski’s early goal to led through goals from Nicolas Kuhn and substitute James Forrest, but substitute Ester Sokler headed home at the back post in the 90th minute.

Matt O’Riley fired Celtic ahead in extra-time but stand-in Dons captain Angus MacDonald atoned for the massive blunder that led to Celtic’s equaliser when he headed home in the 119th minute.

The shoot-out somehow surpassed the drama of the actual game as Hart took centre stage.

Brendan Rodgers has enjoyed far more straightforward afternoons at Hampden but still earned a perfect 10th victory at the national stadium in his first game here since the League Cup final in December 2018.

The Dons stunned the favourites two minutes in. Leighton Clarkson played a perfect pass inside Cameron Carter-Vickers to get Miovski in behind and the North Macedonia striker beat Hart to claim his 24th goal of the campaign.

Celtic created two half-chances to equalise but Yang Hyun-jun headed over and Kelle Roos stood up to parry Kyogo Furuhashi’s effort.

Aberdeen were otherwise keeping Celtic at bay until MacDonald took a poor second touch on the ball midway inside his half in the 21st minute. Furuhashi to raced away before his effort was blocked by Stefan Gartenmann, but the ball fell kindly for Kuhn, who rolled it past a stranded Roos.

Aberdeen had the best opportunity to take an interval lead but Hart saved from Gartenmann and Celtic had a let-off in the closing stages of the half when Scales handled just outside the box, according to a VAR check.

Rodgers made his first changes in the 62nd minute, Callum McGregor replaced by Tomoki Iwata and Yang making way for Forrest. The 32-year-old had a shot blocked even before netting 90 seconds after coming on.

The winger dropped the shoulder to cut inside his man before curling a perfect shot just inside the far post from 23 yards. It was his ninth goal in the latter stages of cup competitions.

Forrest forced Roos into a diving save but the game changed with the introduction of a second Aberdeen striker, Sokler, in the 79th minute.

Aerial balls led to two excellent chances for another substitute, Junior Hoilett, but a poor first touch saw him miss the first and Carter-Vickers blocked on the line from the second opportunity.

Scales headed over from six yards and Celtic paid the price for a poor pass forward from substitute Luis Palma. The ball was worked to Hoilett, who crossed to the back post for Sokler to head home.

Sokler stabbed wide in the opening moments of extra-time, although he would possibly have been called offside if it had gone to VAR, and Celtic got back on top before taking the lead in stoppage-time of the first period.

Forrest threaded a pass that allowed Alistair Johnston to run in behind and cut back for O’Riley, who found the top corner from eight yards.

The drama continued. Adam Idah had a headed goal disallowed for offside before failing to turn O’Riley’s square ball home.

Celtic survived another VAR penalty check after Carter-Vickers caught Hoilett, the video officials backing referee Don Robertson’s view that the Aberdeen winger had committed a foul on Johnston seconds beforehand.

Sokler missed from close range before MacDonald headed home in a near carbon copy of Sokler’s equaliser to spark wild celebrations on the trackside between players and fans.

Even the shoot-out had some outrageous twists. The first seven penalties were scored before Roos went down with apparent cramp and needed treatment. Ryan Duncan hit the post after the long delay.

The Celtic fans got a shock when Hart stepped up to take the penalty that would have sent Celtic into the final. The goalkeeper also hit the post.

Hoilett netted to send the tie into sudden death but Hart had the final say.