Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers could afford to laugh off a spectacular touchline slip as his team ran out 6-0 winners over Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final.
The Co. Antrim native unwittingly found himself the centre of attention as he went head over heels at Hampden Park on Saturday night in front of almost 50,000 fans and the TV cameras.
But despite the moment of mirth earning Rodgers a yellow card, there was no misstep from his players as they booked their place in next month’s Premier Sports Cup Final.
Rodgers’ slip came in first-half injury-time with his side leading 3-0 against the Dons.
Despite the lead, the manager appeared frustrated that a pass from Daizen Maeda ricocheted off teammate Alex Valle and out for an Aberdeen throw.
As the ball rolled towards Rodgers in the technical area, he took a swing at it with his left foot, knocking it back on to the pitch but ending up on his back side as well.
Amid jeers from the crowd, Rodgers immediately sprang up and raised his arms to the stands, laughing.
The manager was still smiling even as referee Kevin Clancy subsequently booked him for kicking the ball away, with Rodgers holding his hands up to the man in black.
After the game, pundit and former Celtic player Charlie Mulgrew joked with Rodgers about his choice of footwear.
“They don’t make Tom Fords with studs on them?” the former defender asked on Premier Sports.
Rodgers replied: “To be fair, I was raging because we’d given the ball away, we were a bit slow on it.”
He added: “But no, it was a deserved card.”
Rodgers later quipped during the post-match press conference that he would appeal the yellow, adding: “I bounced up pretty quickly, probably out of embarrassment!”
Rodgers and referee Kevin Clancy both see the funny side as the official books the Celtic manager for kicking the ball away (Image: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Rodgers’ high expectations and demands for more from his side, despite leading 3-0 at the break, clearly had an effect.
Celtic hit three more in the second half to end Aberdeen’s unbeaten start to the season, Maeda’s hat-trick complemented by goals from Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn.
The Hoops will also see the result as a measure of atonement after losing a two-goal lead against the Dons in their recent league match at Celtic Park, which ended 2-2.
Celtic will return to Hampden Park for the League Cup Final on December 15, where they will face the winners of today’s second semi-final between Motherwell and Rangers.