Daizen Maeda was the star of the show for Celtic in their 4-2 Scottish Cup win over Livingston on Sunday.
The mercurial Japanese winger netted a hat-trick in the victory, but he undoubtedly could have had more.
Maeda continually popped up at the back post in what was a standout display. He was rightly recognised as the in-stadium man of the match.
As well as the fans, Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers was hugely impressed with his performance. Although the gaffer stated that James Forrest is Celtic’s best winger, he praised Maeda’s attainment and productivity.
After the game, Rodgers was asked about the treble-winner’s performance: “It was great”, he said (RecordSport).
“He gets so much against the ball, his pressing, his work-rate, his intensity.
“It was really nice for him to get the hat-trick. All his runs and movements were penetrative and he finished his chances very well.”
Sunday’s match was not the first in which Maeda bagged three for the Celts. In a friendly against his old team, Yokohama F. Marinos, earlier in the season, the 26-year-old netted a hat-trick.
He works ever so hard throughout matches, and it was pleasing to see him be rightly rewarded at the weekend.
