Celtic rattled in three second-half goals to book a Betfred Cup Final spot as Hearts fell apart at Murrayfield.

It also coincided with Ryan Christie’s finest 45 minutes in a Hoops jersey as he entered the action immediately after the break to play a key role in a 3-0 result.

Christie won a penalty which was converted by Scott Sinclair before firing a shot which Jambos keeper Zdenek Zlamal fumbled for James Forrest to score.

But the best was left to last as Christie curled in a stunning third to set themselves up for the chance to land the trophy for a third consecutive time.

The defeat for Hearts also came at a cost as Steven Naismith limped off in the eighth minute to be replaced by Danny Amankwaa and could be facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines.

Celtic were forced into their own reshuffle as Eboue Kouassi was next to limp out of the action and it gave Sinclair an early introduction with Callum McGregor pulled back into a defensive midfield role.

The opening 45 minutes were peppered with half chances which came to nothing due to poor final balls with both James Forrest and Scott Sinclair the main offenders.

Chances were few and far between as neither side managed to create anything more than tame efforts from distance but that was all to change five minutes before the break as Hearts had the ball in the net. Steven MacLean nudged the ball home from a few yards out only for his celebrations to be brought to an abrupt halt by an offside flag.

Scott Sinclair was next to register an attempt as his curling effort from the edge of the box had Jambo keeper Zdenek Zlamal shoving the ball past a post but it it was Celtic’s nearest thing just a few minutes from the break.

The deadlock was broken in the 52nd minute as Oliver Bozanic’s clipped Christie’s ankles at the edge of the area and referee Willie Collum pointed to the spot.

Sinclair assumed the task of beating Zlamal from 12-yards and blasted it into the bottom corner to give the Hearts keeper no chance.

The Czech stopper had nobody but himself to blame as Hearts doubled their lead in the 67th minute after a calamitous moment where he fumbled Ryan Christie’s weak shot and as the clawed the ball from his goal-line, Forrest rammed the ball home.

Celtic grabbed a third thanks to a brilliant shot from Christie who curled an effort in from the edge of the area.

The Holders then let loose and only a succession of superb saves from Zlamal and two goal-line clearances allowed the Tynecastle side to exit the stadium without being on the end of a more comprehensive losing margin.

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Christie Day

Celtic's Ryan Christie scores the third for his side

It required two horror moments from Hearts to allow Celtic book their place in a final and the men in maroon left Murrayfield knowing they sealed their own fate and Ryan Christie was their tormentor-in-chief.

First it was Oliver Bozanic’s needless trip on Christie which allowed the Hoops to edge ahead from the spot and then keeper Zdenek Zlamal fumbled the midfielder’s shot which brought a second from James Forrest. Christie’s stunning third was a reward for a substitute appearance where he arrived to save the day for a Celtic side badly in need of inspiration. Something which was in short supply before he made his mark on proceedings.

Mac Attack

There’s no polite way to say it but had referee, er, Willie Collum spotted Steven MacLean taking a fly squeeze of Eboue Kouassi’s crown jewels then the striker would have been red carded after his second minute booking.

An eagle eyed camera spotted the naughty offence and it’s about as ungentlemanly conduct as it gets.

Hearts of gold

After all of the troubles and tribulations at Tynecastle in recent times, this was an occasion for the Jambos to cherish as a remarkable 30,000 of them snapped up tickets to watch their side. A superb show of loyalty is being rewarded on the pitch as Craig Levein continues to lead the club towards a brighter era. The fact they had to watch their side implode at Murrayfield shouldn’t detract from the bigger picture and the progress made by a club who have their fans to thank for an astonishing revival.

Naisy danger

Steven Naismith could be set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines after crumpling to the turf with nobody hear him and that usually spells trouble.

Just how severe his knee injury is remains to be seen but the Jambos can ill afford to be without their striking talisman for what is a crucial spell in their bid to stay at the top of the Premiership pile.

Murrayfield mayhem

Anyone who claims the benefits of Murrayfield as a major sporting venue ahead of Hampden, think again. It was traffic chaos all the way to the home of rugby and parking was just as problematic as anything on offer in Mount Florida.

By all accounts it was standing room only on the trains, a few pre-match bevvies had been sunk which only added to the discomfort for some less boisterous fans heading through from Glasgow into the bargain.

The pitch remains a fair distance away from the stands and the myth about this stadium generating a better atmosphere than the SFA’s national stadium was shattered as it was nothing to write home about.

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