Celtic remain firmly on course to secure a ninth domestic treble after producing a five-star display against St Johnstone and book their place in the Scottish Cup final.
Brendan Rodgers’ men will return to Hampden on May 24 to take on Aberdeen, who ultimately prevailed over nine-man Hearts on Saturday afternoon to seal their spot.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor scored the first of four first-half goals in 12 extraordinary minutes to get his side up and running, before Daizen Maeda netted either side of a close-range Adam Idah finish.
The Saints thought they had pulled one back courtesy of a stunning strike from Makenzie Kirk early in the second period, but the celebrations were cut short after VAR spotted a foul in the build-up.
And their misery was compounded when Jota added a fifth for a dominant Celtic within minutes of coming off the bench to round things off in style.
Here, Kevin McKenna assesses the performances of the players from each side.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor got the scoring started midway through the first half
Daizen Maeda added another two goals to his tally as the forward maintained his red-hot form
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is yet to taste defeat in the Scottish Cup over two spells in charge
ST JOHNSTONE (4-3-2-1)
Andy Fisher – 5
Easily dealt with a number of long-range efforts. Had no chance with the goals as team crumbled in front of him.
Sam Curtis – 4
Handed the unenviable task of coping with a rampant Maeda. Caught out as in-form forward got in behind to net his first.
Sven Sprangler – 6
Put his head in where it hurts to initially keep Celtic at bay before the floodgates opened. The best of a bad bunch.
Daniels Balodis – 5
Caught napping under pressure from Maeda, and his side were three down within seconds of the defender coughing up possession.
Barry Douglas – 4
Dreadful goal kick led to the opener. Then didn’t get close enough to McGregor as the Celtic captain curled home.
Jason Holt – 5
Industrious performance as you would expect but barely got close to any of his midfield opponents.
Victor Griffith – 4
Left chasing shadows as the game passed him by. An afternoon he’ll surely want to forget in a hurry.
Stephen Duke-McKenna – 4.5
Could have been a bit quicker to react to Douglas’s poor kick out before first goal. Struggled to get any foothold.
Graham Carey – 4.5
A couple of nice touches, but spent most of his time going back towards his own goal. Offered no real attacking threat.
Nicky Clark – 4
Tried to launch a couple of counter-attacks in opening quarter but saw little of the ball as Celtic seized control.
Adama Sidibeh – 4
Thankless task on his own up front. Won early corner but otherwise anonymous. Hooked at the interval.
SUBSTITUTES: Kirk (Clark 46); Kimpioka (Sidibeh 46); Steven (Douglas 46); McPake (Carey 69); Ikpeazu (Duke-McKenna 75).
Not used: Sinclair, Svedberg, Watt.
Simo Valakari – 4
This was 90 minutes he’ll want to banish from the memory.
Things couldn’t have gone much worse for St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari
CELTIC (4-3-3)
Viljami Sinisalo – 5
Role resigned to that of a virtual spectator. Pulled off one magnificent save but offside flag had already been raised.
Alistair Johnston – 6.5
Provided wonderful cross for Jota to complete the scoring. Had absolutely nothing to do defensively.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – 6
As he so often does, the American cruised through the afternoon. Didn’t give the tricky Sidibeh an inch.
Liam Scales – 6
Spent most of the contest camped on the edge of the St Johnstone box. It seemed like every pass went forward.
Greg Taylor – 6
Quiet but efficient performance from the full-back. Given the nod ahead of Schlupp and justified his selection.
Callum McGregor – 8
Dictated things from start to finish, and capped a fine display with a terrific goal. At the heart of everything good for Celtic.
Arne Engels – 6
A number of wasteful passes brought early groans from the stands. Eventually settled but hardly set the heather alight.
Reo Hatate – 8
Celtic’s best player in dominant first period. Three assists to his name and ran the show in the middle of the park.
James Forrest – 7
Surprise starter was lively throughout. Gave Douglas no shortage of problems and linked up well with Johnston.
Daizen Maeda – 7.5
Showed why he will clean up at the end-of-season-awards. Two composed finishes and was a constant menace.
Adam Idah – 7
Looked a little rusty early on, but grew into the game. Dropped deep to connect play and got on the scoresheet.
SUBSTITUTES: Jota (Idah 64); Kuhn (Forrest 64); McCowan (Engels 64); Bernardo (Hatate 70); Ralston (Johnston 77).
Not used: Bain, Schlupp, Trusty.
Brendan Rodgers – 8
Ensured his players were pumped up from the first whistle.
Referee: Callum Scott – 5
Attendance: 43, 632
