Cup win good preparation for Valencia tie says Rodgers

of Scott Sinclair’s goals the winger’s hat-trick, strikes by Scott Brown and James Forrest completing the rout, which set a new all-time Scottish record of 24 consecutive victories in domestic cup ties.

“I only mentioned that to the players after the game,” said Rodgers. “We were playing St Johnstone for the fifth time this season and the third time in a very short period. So I told the players it would reveal a lot about their mentality and character. Because we’d won the previous four games, if they didn’t work, weren’t focused and hungry, it could have been really difficult.

“But they showed their mentality and quality and I told them after the game they had broken another record as a consequence. It’s another great tribute to how they have been working for the last two and a half years.

“It was another good performance today, we didn’t give away too much. We know it’s a big step up in terms of quality on Thursday against Valencia.

“But I can’t complain. We are nearly into mid-february, we haven’t conceded a goal since the winter break and the players are working very hard. They look fresh and are playing at a really good level. So today was good preparation for Thursday.”

Celtic will today re-assess the fitness of Olivier Ntcham after the French midfielder, initially named as a substitute yesterday, pulled out before kick-off with a hamstring complaint.

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright rued his team’s poor start to the match, going 2-0 down in the first nine minutes, but had no complaints at the outcome. “We were beaten by a far better side,” said Wright. “We made it hard for ourselves with the start that we had. It was important that we stayed in the game as long as possible. But I can draw a line under it and hopefully the players can as well.

“There is no disgrace in being beaten by a team who are wiping the floor with everybody. They’ve got better players and we have to accept that, draw a line under it and move on.”