IF the first 11 minutes of this game is anything to go by, the William Hill Scottish Cup final between these teams later this month will be as much of a pushover as the BetFred Cup final was earlier in the season. If it pans out like the remainder of the 79 minutes, though, it could yet be a classic.

As content as the Parkhead side will be this morning having ticked off another potentially fraught away match on their seemingly inevitable route to an invincible domestic season, both of these sides contributed to a smashing football match, as good as any seen in Scotland this term. While they were caught cold on a chilly, drizzly night at Pittodrie, at times - particularly towards the end of the first period - the Dons almost made the Ladbrokes Premiership champions look human.

Brendan Rodgers had spoken of his admiration for his fellow PFA Scotland manager of the year nominee Derek McInnes during the week - the Northern Irishman said the former Bristol City boss was good enough to manage in England again one day - even if Celtic have now won all five of the meetings between the teams this season by a 12-2 aggregate. But any suggestion that these two sides would spend the night shadow boxing ahead of the sixth match in the series at Hampden later this month didn't last long.

While McInnes perplexed a few of his fans by leaving Adam Rooney on the bench in preference to Jayden Stockley - Anthony O'Connor, a goal hero at Tynecastle last week, spent the night shadowing Tom Rogic - Celtic were pretty much at full strength here, save for the suspended Scott Brown. That meant Leigh Griffiths started up front, regardless of the fact a knock - with Moussa Dembele already doubtful for the cup final, would have left Celtic seriously short-handed.

In retrospect, though, there was only so much experimentation and psychological warfare that either manager could get away with. Celtic, after all, arrived here 43 games into an unbeaten domestic season and the Dons - in front of their won fans - would dearly have loved to kill that record off.

The gloves were off straightaway, but like so many Celtic matches, their opponent was almost knocked senseless before they knew where they were. The Premiership champions were two up away to Rangers within 18 minutes - and it should have been more - but last night they went one better, going three up within just 11 minutes. Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor had already opened the Aberdeen defence up once - Joe Lewis was out smartly to defy Patrick Roberts - before the opening goal went in. Roberts swung over a corner, and Boyata peeled off to the far post to direct a downward header beyond Lewis from close range.

The goalscorer had been involved in an early mix-up with Craig Gordon then Kieran Tierney required treatment after an aerial knock, but mainly it was the home side who were dazed and confused by a lightning Celtic start. Goal No 2 came when Griffiths cleverly drove into space, before trying to find Rogic with a cross. The ball broke to McGregor, whose right shot was only palmed into the path of the onrushing Armstrong, who finished gleefully.

There were stirrings of mutiny in the home support when No 3 went in. Again Lewis may not be happy with his contribution. As well as Griffiths struck his 25-yard shot after he had outsmarted Ash Taylor and Logan, it wasn't right in the corner. Rogic, a perennial scorer against Aberdeen, also saw one shot blocked while only a last-gasp Taylor tackle defied Sinclair.

But if Celtic thought they were on easy street with a three-goal cushion, they were sadly mistaken. In fact, for the remainder of that first half, Aberdeen put Craig Gordon's goal under as much pressure as any team in Scotland has done all season long. Typically, Jonny Hayes started things off, cutting beyond Armstrong and curling the sweetest shot into Gordon's top corner. Within minutes, Stockley - in the team for his headed prowess - somehow nodded wide from six yards after Kenny McLean had put the ball clean on his forehead. With the mist coming in from the North Sea, this wasn't the easiest of nights for Gordon, whose next act was to palm a Niall McGinn shot over after the goalkeeper could only slap clear a cross.

So many crosses peppered his box that perhaps McInnes rued not starting the match with Rooney but Aberdeen's Irish striker eventually arrived just after the hour mark, as the Pittodrie side continued to keep Celtic on the back foot. Gordon was perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty after he came flying out of his goal, got nothing on the ball, but collided with Shinnie, although referee Steven McLean perhaps felt the Aberdeen midfielder was never going to retrieve the ball and had instigated the contact himself. Next for the referee to deal with was a running feud between Griffiths and Shay Logan. It ended with the Aberdeen full back being booed by, and gesticulating towards, the visiting support, a group with whom he has some previous. The striker's night ended early, earning a silly booking for wasting too much time over his substitution.

When Kenny McLean spurned a glorious chance on his preferred left foot, and McGinn fired over on his favoured right, you guessed that Aberdeen's unlikely hopes of a recovery would come to nothing. Celtic gradually took the sting out of things and were comfortable winners by the end but which team gets the bigger psychological boost ahead of the cup final remains to be seen.

________________

Aberdeen 1

Hayes 12

Celtic 3

Boyata 4, Armstrong 8, Griffiths 11