Magic touch trumps McInnes’s tactical victory

Rogic’s early introduction was not planned but it changed the game. Analysis by Stewart Fisher

BRENDAN Rodgers calls Tom Rogic “the magic man”. Now we know why. While was a blow to Celtic’s hopes of recording an unprecedented unbeaten domestic treble when Kieran Tierney left the fray just 22 minutes in, holding a tissue to his bloodied mouth and cursing Jayden Stockley after being hit by the burly Englishman’s arm, it gave the manager an excuse to introduce the Australian.

Rogic’s influence turned the tide of the match – perhaps Derek McInnes suspected it would when he introduced Anthony O’Connor from his bench in attempt to chaperone him – and it was fitting that Rogic should be the history Bhoy, running off in celebration to what should now be called Cup Final Corner at Hampden Park. Fifty years on from the Lisbon Lions, his fine solo goal capped a season which even the greatest side in the club’s history couldn’t match.

It will have been no consolation to McInnes that Aberdeen won the tactical battle when they still lost the war. Like Robert the Bruce watching that spider, the Aberdeen manager has tried and tried to find a way to beat Celtic. This was the sixth game of the series and the best of the bunch.

The aggregate coming in stood at 12-2 in Celtic’s favour but, bizarrely, a 3-1 defeat at Pittodrie last month offered hope. Stockley had experienced some success as a target man, and his selection meant leaving talisman Adam Rooney, with 19 goals to his name, on the bench. Ryan Jack started, and more than justified his manager’s faith.

Rodgers had less earth-shattering

decisions to make. Clearly not keen to risk Moussa Dembele, who tore a hamstring in the semi-final win against Rangers, his decision to list Cristian Gamboa among his subs, rather than the left-sided Emilio Izaguirre, was one he probably regretted when Tierney was injured.

The debate as to how premeditated Stockley’s contact on Tierney was, and whether it merited a yellow or red card, will rumble around for long years. Or at least it would have done if Aberdeen had won. But in the short term Callum McGregor was shunted to left-back and looked as uncomfortable as you might expect.

While at first glance Stockley’s challenge appeared to have an accidental quality repeated viewings suggested the big striker might not have been quite so innocent.

Aberdeen’s tactics worked a treat during the first half, all starting with committing as many as four men into the high press which forced Craig Gordon to kick long. Kenny McLean and Jonny Hayes gave Scott Brown a run for his money as they swarmed all over the second balls, and Aberdeen’s aerial prowess gave them the opener.

Niall McGinn’s deep delivery found Jonny Hayes sneaking off Leigh Griffiths around the back, and his well-controlled half-volley couldn’t be kept out on the line by Tierney.

Good teams have an aura about them, though, and no Aberdeen player managed to touch the ball before the treble-chasers were level. The strike from Stuart Armstrong was Celtic’s only effort on target in the first half, but the problem for McInnes was that it was only 1-1 at the interval and the Parkhead side were only going to get stronger.

They began peppering Joe Lewis’s goal in the second period, with Rogic central to it all. The Welshman saved twice at close range from Scott Sinclair, tipped a Patrick Roberts effort on to the post and had various other narrow escapes, although Hayes might have presented McLean with a simple goal if his radar hadn’t been off after he robbed McGregor.

We were bracing ourselves for 30 minutes more of this when Celtic’s magic man picked up an Armstrong pass, wriggled free of two men and used his right foot to stick the ball into Lewis’s bottom corner.

Who knows what he, and the rest of this splendid team, have up their sleeves for their next trick.

Like Robert the Bruce watching that spider, how the Aberdeen manager has tried and tried to find a way to beat Celtic