A disciplined Celtic display returns Rodgers to the battlefield where he always win.

And so Brendan Rodgers will return again to a battlefield where he has never lost a single battle. That is an immense, impressive, and intimidating record he defends there. It’s intimidating both for the man holding it and for those desperate to inflict that first defeat. And because of the nature of games at Hampden, that first defeat—if and when it comes—is going to hurt all of us like hell.

There are those at Ibrox who like to tell us how close some of those Hampden games have been. I pay not one bit of heed to any of it.

It’s the ultimate stage, the one where the winner takes it all. And Rodgers’ record there is exemplary. He has even come through two penalty shootouts. But so what? You don’t get penalised for that. You don’t get points deducted for that. A manager has to set up a side with the right mentality, and Rodgers has done that. This Celtic team knows how to win, and that’s down to him.

That’s why I strongly suspect that with two games left to secure a treble, we will get over the line. And one of the reasons I’m sure of it is that games at Hampden are just different. These are winner-takes-all occasions. That means teams cannot come and put 11 men behind the ball.

A team playing at Hampden has to at least make an effort, has to at least put up a fight. And we know that when most of the teams in this league try to go toe-to-toe with us, they pay for it. That’s why our record at Hampden is so good. That’s why our record in cup competitions is so good. It is not enough to play stifling defensive football in those games, and so we will get opportunities and chances to score.

And the ultimate reality of that, of course, is that we’ve got too many good players not to take at least some of those chances. Two of those guys stepped up to the plate again today when it mattered most—Maeda and Idah. Let those who have been giving the big guy a hard time recently eat their words yet again.

Let them post their apologies yet again. Because, once more, they have moved too soon, and they have proved themselves to be wrong. I see our old friend, the ancient embarrassment from the Sunday Mail, was at it again today, trying to put pressure on him, trying to suggest that he’s not worthy of a place in the team. Boom. That’s what he gets for running off his stupid mouth.

Before I say anything else, let me give the Hibs fans a man’s credit. They brought a huge support to Celtic Park today, and they made themselves heard from the first minute to the last. They didn’t let themselves fall silent even after their team went a goal down. They didn’t let themselves fall silent even after we went two up.

They kept on supporting their team, and they were a credit to their side. It is a huge pity that their fans and ours aren’t going to be able to turn Hampden green and white for the final, because it would have been a fitting occasion with them as the opposition.

They gave a good account of themselves today.

They played well. But we were better. We were just better in every department. And this wasn’t Easter Road, on their home turf, where they have a narrower pitch that makes the game tough, where they can hope to take a lead and then pack the penalty area to make it difficult for you to break through.

As decent as their performance was at home, let us not forget we had the ball in the net to make it 2-2, and there was enough time on the clock that I am pretty sure we would have won that game had Alan Muir not intervened and done his bit for the home side. I never thought that kind of outcome was likely today.

All the pieces of the machine functioned as intended. In the first half, we were vastly dominant. We were very unlucky it was only 1-0 at half-time. And in the second, we took our foot off the gas somewhat. We played more contained, slow, and steady stuff—made them come and chase the ball a little bit more—and never looked under any pressure at all. When we had to put the afterburners on, we were able to do it with ease.

One of the things Rodgers doesn’t get enough credit for is the incredible discipline that this team is capable of. And when we did take our foot off the gas a little in the second half to lock them out of the game, to contain it, and to guard our 1-0 lead, we never looked under the slightest pressure or in the slightest danger of conceding a goal. Rodgers knows what the prize is. Rodgers wants the treble.

Because of that discipline, because of that control, and because we have a team that is far better than any other in the country, we are now on the brink of it. I thought today was a really good performance. A really composed and intelligent performance. Defensively, we were solid. The midfield did very well. On another day, we could have had more goals. But once again, the big players performed on the big occasion.

We know what Maeda can do time after time after time. But it was good to see Idah step up and get the second, to remind people that he is a big-game player, that he does it on the occasions that matter, that he’s not just a luxury footballer but one who is capable of stepping up to the mark under pressure and scoring when it really, really counts—not just for racking up the goal difference column.

So, total congratulations to the team today. We knew what we had to do against the other in-form side in the country, and we did it. And we did it without really hitting our top speed or our top form. We did it in a very disciplined, very composed way. And that’s a credit to the players and to the manager and the way they set out their stall.

There are nine league games to go. Right now, we look very good for wrapping the title up before the split. And now, there are two cup games standing between us and another clean sweep. Those games are at Hampden, where Rodgers has never lost.

And so, I really don’t care who we play there. Because I’m confident we’ll win.

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