Aberdeen’s defeat shows how hard it can be to predict when is a good time to face Celtic.
There was a widespread feeling the Dons had never been better placed to take on the Hoops during Derek McInnes’ reign, with their strong recent form coinciding with a tricky period for opposite number Neil Lennon.
The result was a familiar tale of Hampden Park woe, however, with first-half goals from Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi setting up a final against Championship side Hearts on December 20.
Derek will not have read anything into the fact Celtic had not won in four games, especially with the quality of opposition they had faced.
He wouldn’t have been happy seeing all the criticism of Celtic, because that just adds fuel to the fire and Aberdeen ended up getting the backlash.
As much as Derek won’t be surprised with how well Celtic played, he will be disappointed to lose the early goals. You are looking to stay in the game as long as you can, or get in front.
When Ryan Christie hits a shot like that there is not a great deal you can do. I know people are picking faults, saying he should have been closed down, but if everybody did their job the way they are supposed to in every team, they would all be 0-0 draws. Both teams will always make mistakes.
Aberdeen had a couple of chances that might have made it interesting.
In the first half in particular Celtic came out of the blocks well, though, and when they quickly got the second one it was an uphill battle.
It was disappointing for the Dons not to get to a final because my own opinion is whoever won that game was going to stand a good chance of winning it.
In the back of his mind Derek would have loved to have won that game, as he knows he had the team capable of lifting the trophy.
I have seen Aberdeen go down there and get hammered, so there will be a lot to take on.
Derek will believe he can get closer to Celtic and Rangers this year. They will look to seal that European place for an eighth straight season, while the prize of silverware will once again be up for grabs when they enter both cup competitions in the coming weeks.