Scottish League Cup Quarter-final

Kilmarnock 1 Celtic 3 : CELTIC BOOKED their place in the Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-finals with a comfortable win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

A Scott McDonald header after 11 minuites and a trademark Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick on 45 minutes had the Scottish champions cruising at the interval in a tetchy game that occasionally threatened to boil over.

Killie striker Danny Invincibile pulled a goal back in the 67th minute when he bundled in from close range but man-of-the-match Aiden McGeady almost immediately restored their two-goal lead, driving past Killie goalkeeper Alan Combe two minutes later.

The Hoops join Rangers, Falkirk and Dundee United in the last-four draw where they should encounter a tougher test than was provided at Rugby Park by a side who never really looked like they would record their first win over the Scottish champions since 2001, when they last triumphed thanks to an Alan Mahood goal.

For the first time since the stadium was redeveloped in the early 1990s, with only one stand was needed for fans of an Old Firm club, perhaps indicating the lack of interest in the competition from the Hoops' supporters who were also having to contend with a packed and costly fixture list.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times