Sunday's semi-final clash was like playing a third division side

In the aftermath of Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final, there was something Celtic captain Scott Brown really needed to get off his chest. It wasn’t so long ago that Rangers players celebrated drawing the Bhoys in the last four. They look mega silly for doing so now.

Since then the Ibrox side bottled their best chance to win a derby since returning to the top flight, losing to a 10-man Hoops side last month. At Hampden on Sunday, they were absolutely demolished by Brendan Rodgers’ men in a 4-0 humiliation. And to think this group of players truly believed they could take Celtic down is laughable given how they performed at the national stadium.

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After beating Falkirk in the last round, Gers boss Graeme Murty admitted that his dressing room cheered as both teams were drawn together. Brown was never going to miss out on this opportunity. “We just knew as soon as we turned up that we were going to win. They can can cheer as much as they want, I don’t think they’ll be cheering tonight.”

“Be careful what you wish for” was Rodgers’ message to Rangers before the Ibrox clash and it was the caption smugly used by Celtic’s social media team after this one. That’s now 10 games in a row unbeaten against Rangers and this was probably the most comprehensive performance. It’s not the first time the Celts have experienced a goal fest against their rivals; in the previous nine derbies under Rodgers they’ve scored 21 goals. Plus another four at the weekend.

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They absolutely bullied Rangers from start to finish to the extent that the Blues resembled a third division outfit. No matter what aspect you try to dissect, you can only come to that conclusion. Mentally, physically, tactically and emotionally these teams couldn’t be further apart.

The Hoops were far more hungry for victory, ready to stamp their authority on their rivals from the offset. Moussa Dembele took the whole Rangers backline to the cleaners with his running power, pace, movement and link up play. Callum McGregor and Tom Rogic pulled their opposite numbers all over the place while Brown and Olivier Ntcham were just a superior force in the middle of the park.

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Even the Bhoys’ opponents in the previous rounds put up better showings than Rangers did and those rivals were: Brechin City, Partick Thistle and Morton. That’s how desperate this Gers performance was. A third division side would probably have put up a better fight than they did.

The finishing of Alfredo Morelos certainly wasn’t of the highest calibre as he squandered some massive opportunities including one from a few yards. The Colombian has missed sitters in these pressure games on a few occasions this term, the most high profile being the chance from a yard out in last month’s encounter.

These missed chances are no coincidence, it only shows how weak this Rangers side really is and it’s a symptom that’s spread throughout the club. On the other side of the city meanwhile, the champions are peaking at just the right time after experiencing a season that hasn’t quite matches last year’s standards. Yet the end result could be exactly the same- a treble. The Hoops are just two wins away and if this form continues they will have their names etched into the history books- again.