THE SFA saw fit to employ the services of Michael Buffer, the much-admired and much-imitated boxing master of ceremonies, for what was widely anticipated to be a heavyweight Hampden showdown. There was bad news for Motherwell, though. Celtic had turned up ready to rumble.

The Fir Park side were convinced that they could have been contenders yesterday. Okay so the occupants of the claret and amber corner were vying for their first Scottish Cup for 27 years, compared to an all-conquering double treble-chasing Parkhead outfit, but they had landed a few blows against them in previous contests, and they certainly didn’t stand on ceremony in the opening stages here.

Cedric Kipre – twice sent off against these opponents this season - left a bit on Kieran Tierney in the opening seconds, Moussa Dembele did likewise on Charles Dunne, while Curtis Main got a bit of joy in a grappling match with Kris Ajer.

But attempting to go toe-to-toe with an opponent as powerful as this one isn’t always the best move. Sometimes you are better advised to stay where you are with your guard up, your defences intact. Because on a sun-bathed Hampden day when the Parkhead supporters were giving the royal wedding short shrift – they said you could stick it where the sun didn’t shine – this right royal rumble was all but done within 25 minutes.

Already on the ropes when Callum McGregor reacted quickest to a Tom Aldred header to rasp one of those unerring right-foot finishes of his into the top corner, a low Olivier Ntcham strike which whistled into Trevor Carson’s bottom corner, via the keel of Kipre, was a hammer blow, if not exactly a knock-out one.

As culpable as they had been when it came to this turn of events, it said a lot about this Motherwell side that their response was to roll the sleeves up and simply battle even harder for the cause. You wouldn't expect any less of a team under the charge of Stephen Robinson, a man from Lisburn - just up the road from Carnlough, the home of Brendan Rodgers, who also seems fated for bigger things.

Allan Campbell, one of two men who might have prevented the opener had they been more pro-active, got involved in a tussle with Callum McGregor following a nudge on Tierney, the full back perhaps fearing that once again his Scottish Cup final experience might involve removing himself early from the action to receive hospital treatment.

Craig Gordon, given the nod to play after three weeks out, tipped a Curtis Main effort from his top corner then fielded a Campbell shot in his midriff. Ryan Bowman and Mikael Lustig ended up grappling on the ground after the Motherwell striker nicked the ball away studs up, and the Swede followed through, catching him on his studs. Campbell was soon scrapping away on the ground with Tom Rogic, enough again to get his name in Kevin Clancy’s book. But in truth they couldn't get to grips with him all day. The Australian strolled off, without a goal but having otherwise produced another Mount Florida masterpiece.

As much as the Fir Park side periodically landed these jabs, Celtic – even in their 61st game of a long season - had enough to keep them at arms’ length, even if their radar when it came to counter punching and killing their opponent off once and for all wasn’t quite there.

There was a strange ten minutes where a series of often bizarre goings on in the crowd stole the limelight. First, Hampden stopped to give the watching Henrik Larsson on ovation, then the Green Brigade – with their team cruising towards a historic double treble – saw fit to send plumes of smoke into the air and unveil banners about ending Genocide and Zionism. A strange hat-trick was completed by Douglas Ross, a rather controversial Scottish politician as well as the main stand linesman, falling to earth in embarrassing fashion.

Scottish football’s first-ever double treble wasn’t delivered in quite such dramatic fashion as last year’s invincible one but it Celtic weren't entirely safe until substitute Gael Bigirmana levered a feree-kick of the angle of post and bar then when Bowman’s headed flick on was agonisingly out of reach of substitute Elliot Frear.

Even amid all the structural advantages which they have accrued for themselves in Scottish football right now, a sixth successive trophy since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers really is quite something. Ally Maxwell, a 1991 Motherwell cup hero who was also on the scene when Rangers failed to do the double treble back in 1994, on hand to take part in the festivities, could tell everybody a thing or two about that.

Some players - the likes of Patrick Roberts for one - will move on. But the superlatives keep on coming for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic. No-one really needs a silky-smooth boxing MC to tell you how good they are.