IT was on this day three years ago that Celtic dispatched their city rivals in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup on the road to the Invincibles Treble. Goals from Callum McGregor and Scott Sinclair ensured a routine win for Glasgow’s green and white, as they broadened their dominance over the Ibrox side.

Having hammered Mark Warburton’s men 5-1 at Celtic Park the previous September, the Hoops then triumphed 1-0 at Hampden in the League Cup, 2-1 away from home on Hogmanay, and drew 1-1 at Paradise in March (the opposition then led by stand-in manager Graeme Murty).

With two derby games in the space of six days between April 23 and 29, the first encounter was the most hyped because, with Rangers (now managed by Pedro Caixinha) having slipped to third place in the Premiership and Celtic having already clinched the League Cup, this competition marked the Ibrox side's only chance of winning silverware that campaign.

Beating Rangers, on the other hand, would set Celtic up well for their first treble in 16 years, a feat they could feasibly achieve undefeated. The would-be champions dominated for 90 minutes in the Scottish Cup semi-final, with an ultra-cool first-half strike from McGregor, and an equally composed second-half penalty from Sinclair dealing the damage on the day.

On This derby Day… Cal’s cool head and Scott’s steel nerves