St Johnstone will have to hand back one of their trophies.
The dream of a third final in a row is over after Callum Davidson’s men were beaten in the League Cup semi-final by Celtic.
But this was another Hampden performance to be proud of.
Saints held out until the 73rd minute when substitute James Forrest fired an unstoppable close-range shot past Zander Clark.
Up until that point the last-four clash had been on a knife-edge.
It was shaping up to be a long night for Saints in the early stages.
David Turnbull fired over from about 12 yards after just four minutes during a spell of pretty much attack versus defence.
But once that storm had been weathered and the Perth midfielders began to get a few touches of the ball it became a much more even contest.
Michael O’Halloran actually came closest to scoring when he charged down a Joe Hart clearance.
Had his block been in front of the goal rather than just outside the far post it would have been 1-0 Saints.
It was clearly a Davidson tactic for his players to shoot whenever they got the chance.
A Craig Bryson 25-yarder was only gathered by Hart at the second attempt and a Chris Kane low, angled drive from a similar range, after a lovely sequence of crisp passing, didn’t miss by much.
The first 45 was probably David Wotherspoon’s best and most influential of the season.
Wotherspoon worry
But the Canadian international’s evening came to a worrying end when he injured his knee in a challenge with Anthony Ralston shortly after the restart and was replaced by Ali Crawford.
The only good news was he didn’t need the stretcher that was brought on to the pitch and could hobble down the tunnel.
He was also able to walk along the track after the game to applaud the Saints support.
A Bryson pass to the substitute on 72 minutes saw Crawford in space on the left side of midfield 40 yards out, from where he attempted to lob Hart.
His effort drifted wide and a minute or so later Celtic were in front.
James Forrest comes off the bench and comes up with a MASSIVE goal! 😱
Celtic lead in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final 🍀 pic.twitter.com/LCRul54jMB
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) November 20, 2021
A Jota cross from the left was half-cleared by Jamie McCart but the loose ball fell to Forrest, who gave Clark no chance with his finish.
Eetu Vertainen was a late substitute and he forced a save out of Hart with an 18-yard shot but that was as close as Saints came to an equaliser.
It will be Celtic coming back to the national stadium for next month’s final.
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