All the talking points from Hampden as Celtic dance to a double

The victory means they have secured an unlikely domestic double. 

As far as victories go, this was relatively straightforward. Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels had Martin O’Neill’s side ahead by half-time.

Kelechi Iheanacho made it 3-0 from the bench before Josh Cooper scored a consolation goal for Dunfermline with 10 minutes to go. 

Celtic are record Scottish Cup winners. This was their 43rd triumph in the competition.

Here are the key talking points from Hampden…

Daizen does it again

Ever since he shut down Ryan Mullen to open the scoring in Celtic’s semi-final against St Mirren five weeks ago, Maeda has been nothing short of scintillating. And it did now take the Japanese forward long to make his mark in this affair. 

With just 19 minutes on the clock, Alistair Johnston played a sublime lofted pass over the top of Dunfermline’s defence. John Tod should have dealt with the aerial ball better and Maeda took full advantage. 

The 28-year-old cleverly lifted the ball over Aston Oxborough, who was far off his line. O’Neill described Maeda’s as Larsson-esque in the build-up to this match. His opener had apparent shades of the legendary Swedish striker. 

This was Maeda’s ninth goal in his last seven appearances. As far as impactful runs of form go, his is up there with the best, particularly given the timing. 

He has come alive at the perfect juncture and almost single-handedly fired Celtic to a double. 

If O’Neill is manager next season, he won’t stand in the way of Maeda fulfilling his lifelong ambition of playing in the English Premier League. 

Should this turn out to be his last dance in green and white, Maeda can head south as a modern-day legend.

Daizen Maeda scores Celtic's opener against Dunfermline. (Image: PA)

Another parting gift?

It felt like a day of lasts at Hampden. Running through the Celtic team sheet, you could name about four or five players who might have been making their final appearances in green and white. Engels was one. 

Celtic rejected a bid of £25 million plus add-ons for their record signing in January. The Belgian splits opinion, but since his full return to the midfield on April 19, the team has enjoyed a noticeable upturn in form. 

Engels performed amicably here and on 36 minutes, he scored his first goal from open play since January 10. Callum McGregor played the ball into Engels over 25 yards from goal. 

Granted Oxborough could – and probably should – have done better, Engels’ strike was pure and found the back of the net. 

Akin to Maeda, if this was Engels’ last dance, there was no better way so sign off. 

How did Lennon’s Dunfermline set up?

Neil Lennon watched Celtic 20 times in the build-up to the cup final: 10 in person and 10 on video. In his pre-match press conference, he was quick to point out that he was fully aware of Celtic’s weaknesses and ready to take advantage. 

At Hampden, he set up his team in a 5-3-2 when defending. They pressed as a 4-4-2 and more often than not left two strikers up top at all times. 

Dunfermline looked to wreak uncertainty on a Celtic backline which, at times, appeared vulnerable. And they almost took the lead in the game’s infancy. 

Calum Morrison was within inches of guiding the ball over the line after a mix-up between Johnston and Viljami Sinisalo.

In reality, though, it was the Pars’ finest moment of the first half. Lennon was visibly infuriated on the touchline on countless occasions in the opening 45 and it is no wonder he made three changes at the break.

Dunfermline benefitted as a result as substitutes Chris Kane and Zak Rudden threatened after coming on. Alfons Amade flashed wide just after the hour mark and Celtic showed signs of the complacency that almost proved deadly in their semi-final against St Mirren.

Unlike that eventful afternoon five weeks ago, Celtic composed themselves here and went on to find a third goal which ultimately killed any hopes of a miraculous Dunfermline comeback.

Arne Engels celebrates his Celtic goal vs Dunfermline. (Image: PA)

Kelechi class

Maeda deserves rightful credit for his role in this late-season Celtic surge. So too does Iheanacho. 

Just as he did against St Mirren in the semi-final, the Nigerian striker came off the bench here to score. 

Iheanacho proved his class with some elite hold up play and scored Celtic’s third of the afternoon with just shy of 20 minutes remaining. 

Played in on the right channel by Benjamin Nygren, he showed fine close control to beat a few defenders and round Oxborough, before tapping into the net. Given Cooper’s 80th-minute striker, Iheanacho’s was crucial.

His sixth goal in his last eight substitute appearances, Celtic would be wise to give the 29-year-old another year, even if just for his impact from the bench alone.

Martin O'Neill is embraced by Dunfermline boss Neil Lennon after Celtic's victory. (Image: PA)

Celtic do the double, but was this really O'Neill's last dance?

Ephemeral in its nature, each of O'Neill's interim spells this season have – for supporters of a certain vintage – brought the memories flooding back. 

He lost just two domestic matches out of 29 this season and led Celtic to an unlikely double. Had the club kept him in charge for another week-and-a-half at the beginning of December instead of sanctioning the disastrous Wilfried Nancy experiment, O'Neill would perhaps be sitting on a treble.

Back in 2005, the 74-year-old signed off with a Scottish Cup triumph and the parallels over two decades on are apparent. But this did not feel like a final goodbye. 

That said, unlike when Lennon was offered the job immediately after the 2018 Scottish Cup final, O'Neill will hold talks with principal Celtic shareholder Dermot Desmond next week. 

He has never ruled himself out of the running for the permanent manager's position. "The players, the coaching staff, have given me a reason to live," he said after last Saturday's title triumph. 

Managing Celtic and leading them to success feels like a drug that O'Neill can't get enough of. 

External candidates Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy, and Roberto Martinez do not inspire great enthusiasm among supporters either.

Was this really O'Neill's last dance? Only time will tell. For what it's worth, this writer doesn't think so.