Celtic routed plucky Buckie Thistle 5-0 in the Scottish Cup as Brendan Rodgers's men produced a professional and clinical performance at Parkhead to comfortably advance to the fifth round.

It was total domination from the Scottish Premiership champions against the team sitting fifth in the Highland League as you would expect. Despite the dreadful conditions in Glasgow's east end with the game being played in driving wind and rain the attitude of the Celtic players and the current Scottish Cup holders was first-class throughout.

Man-of-the-match Matt O'Riley was largely instrumental in the result as the men in green and white found themselves 3-0 up by the interval courtesy of goals from Paulo Bernardo, Odun Thiago Holm and Kyogo Furuhashi with the Danish international involved in them all. Firstly the 23-year-old spotted Bernardo's clever run on 25 minutes and fed him and the Portuguese midfielder did the rest with a cool chipped finish.

Eight minutes later O'Riley was at it again as he played a neat 1-2 on the edge of the box with Holm who slammed in an effort off the post to register his first goal for the club. O'Riley wasn't finished there though as he exquisitely released Liel Abada down the right channel and his accurate low first-time centre was easily tapped home by Kyogo to make it three.

The second half was barely five minutes old when Luis Palma drilled home a long-range effort to make it 4-0 and Liel Abada was denied a fifth when he swept into the net after 55 minutes but was denied by the assistant's flag.

There was even time for 18-year-old youngster Rocco Vata - who has been the subject of interest from Italy and whose future at the club remains in the balance - to come on and feature after 64 minutes. It was the son of former Celtic star Rudi who stabbed home from close range in the 77th minute to make it 5-0 as he claimed his first-ever first-team goal after fellow substitute Mikey Johnston jinked to the deadball line and teed up the opportunity.

It was Rodgers's 13th victory in the competition as the Northern Irishman kept up his 100 per cent record in Scottish Cup ties to date.

Groove Abada

This was Abada's first Celtic start since September and it was great to see him fully return to action. He was deemed offside during the home side's first attack which could have led to a penalty as he was upended in the box. However, the right decision was reached in the end. He then got in behind and slipped in Kyogo for what looked like a tap-in on 15 minutes but Hamish Munro thwarted the danger. The Israeli winger went too quickly again on 30 minutes when he teed up Kyogo who sidefooted home but was frustratingly flagged for offside. The 22-year-old was not to be denied when he finally sprung the offside trap and laid it on a plate for Kyogo to make it 3-0. The wide man was keen to be involved at all times and was far too quick at times for the near-side assistant who was flag-happy, especially in the opening 45 minutes as he refused to give the Celtic player the benefit of the doubt in all the marginal calls. He should have scored when Luis Palma played him through on goal but he slipped the ball inches wide of the target. He swept home to make it 5-0 in 55 minutes but again he was the victim of a tight offside call. Allowing for the quality of the Highland League opposition it was a decent confidence builder for the player who was a constant threat and linked well with Alistair Johnston all afternoon. He is back doing what he does best and certainly felt the love from the Celtic supporters after a good display Abada is back in the groove.

Tony Haggerty

Brilliant Buckie support

Regardless of what the score ended up on the day, the Highland League side’s supporters came in their thousands to support their team. A quick Wikipedia search will tell you that the town has a population of around 9000, so it would have been a quiet day up north, with so many of its inhabitants in Glasgow for the game! A tremendous turnout from the side, who would not have been expecting much apart from a big day out in the central belt. Every foray forward was met with a chorus of cheers and buzz from the sizeable Buckie support, and credit to them for making it feel like a big cup tie, despite the gap between the two sides. No doubt, they will be extremely proud of their team’s efforts for the duration of the game, and the players will feel the same way about their loyal support. It takes two teams to make a football match, and Buckie Thistle certainly played their part in today’s Scottish Cup proceedings. Here’s hoping they feel the financial benefits of the tie for years to come…

Ryan McGinlay

Life O'Riley

This is O'Riley's world and we are all just living in it, aren't we? The Danish midfielder is the proverbial class act. Every other game O'Riley seems to be the one player who everybody is waxing lyrical about. O'Riley took his assist tally to 12 for the season which is no mean feat as he set up the first two goals for Bernardo with a cracking defence-splitting pass and then a superb give-and-go with the Norwegian. He was also involved in the third goal as well when he set Abada clean through who centred for Kyogo to score easily. He gave a midfield masterclass and showed how to pick a pass all day long. Celtic holds all the cards here when it comes to the 23-year-old having signed his latest long-term deal in September which runs until 2027. There is no urgency within the club to get him out of the door in a big money transfer deal, certainly not in January. Come the summer then all bets may be off. However, for now, La Liga leaders Girona and any other English Premier League suitors can wait. O'Riley is perfectly happy at Celtic and living his best life. As Rodgers said: “I see the likes of Matt – he’s really, really happy here. He signed a new deal, he’s really progressed, he’s into double figures now for goals, and his assists are there." You are not kidding, Brendan. O'Riley is the Scottish player of the year elect as nobody else comes close.

Tony Haggerty

Holm impresses at home!

There were quite a few eyebrows raised when the team sheet came out, as Callum McGregor was not quoted whatsoever. It was quickly discovered that the captain was on extended leave as authorised by his coach, which allowed Holm to take his place in the centre of midfield for today’s match. The Norwegian, who celebrated his 21st birthday a few days ago, helped himself to a late present, as he started and finished a slick move to double Celtic’s lead on the day. Passing the ball to O’Riley, he would receive the ball back from his fellow midfielder before cooly slotting past the Buckie Thistle goalkeeper, clipping the post on the way in. It wasn’t just his goal that was impressive, but his overall play and attitude towards today’s proceedings. Yes, the opposition was there to be got at and attacked, but Holm did his chances no harm with this performance. He will have a part to play in the second half of the season, that’s for sure.

Ryan McGinlay

Buoyant Bernardo

The Portuguese midfielder opened the scoring and let the holders breathe more easily in this one. O'Riley played him in on goal after a superbly timed run and the Benfica academy graduate had two wonderful touches to get it out of his feet before clipping a sublime dink over Stewart Knight in the Buckie Thistle goal. That's five-goal contributions - three goals and two assists - in his last four matches. Bernardo is starting to look the part and play the part, and it is clear that Rodgers rates him so highly. That's goals against Dundee, Rangers and Buckie Thistle as well as two assists against St Mirren as Bernardo is starting to rack up the numbers. He is also showing exactly why he will be a vitally important player for Celtic in the second half of the season. With a fee already agreed with Benfica for a permanent transfer if Bernardo keeps coming up with the goods between now and the end of the campaign then it will be the ultimate no-brainer for the men in green and white. The 21-year-old is not a superstar like Jota just yet but he is beginning to look like one in the making.

Tony Haggerty

The kids are alright!

One of the luxuries of being so far ahead is the ability to take players off and replace them with those needing game time. With a few youngsters desperate to make a name for themselves, Rodgers elected to give them 20 minutes or so to show him what they could do. Vata - who has been in the news recently concerning a move away - took this opportunity with both hands, as he was in the right place to finish off a great move orchestrated by Johnston. Daniel Kelly was also brought on to provide the game with another youthful spark, with the young midfielder slotting in alongside Bernardo and O’Riley. This was the perfect game to blood in these players, who will hopefully be around for years to come. Perhaps there has been a U-turn from Vata and he will stick around under Rodgers? Here’s hoping, judging by his finish today! Encouraging signs from the future of Celtic.

Ryan McGinlay