Celtic beats Aberdeen 4-0 to reach Cup final

Celtic beat 10-man Aberdeen 4-0 on Sunday to reach the Scottish Cup final and maintain its chances of ending the season with a league and cup double.

Aberdeen lost Andrew Considine to an 18th-minute red card at Hampden Park for a foul in the area but Anthony Stokes missed the penalty and Aberdeen held out until the 49th minute.

Charlie Mulgrew, Joe Ledley, Kris Commons - with another penalty kick - and Shaun Maloney scored in a comfortable win with the second half often resembling a training match for Celtic.

Record 34-time winner Celtic will go for its first Scottish Cup title since 2007 against Motherwell in the May 21 final.

Considine was sent off for tripping Gary Hooper in the box and, although Jamie Langfield saved Stokes' penalty, the respite was only temporary.

Langfield made more saves before allowing Mulgrew's long-range free kick to drift in at the far post. Aberdeen had an equalizer ruled out for offside in the 56th and, a minute later, Ledley made it 2-0 with a shot from about 12 meters (yards).

Commons scored his goal after Stokes had been brought down in the area and substitute Maloney rounded off the scoring from close range with six minutes left.

Celtic has now outscored Aberdeen 21-1 over five matches this season, including a 4-1 defeat in the semifinals of the League Cup in January.

Motherwell beat St. Johnstone 3-0 on Saturday to reach the final for the first time since it last won the trophy in 1991.

Celtic's appearance in the Scottish Cup semifinals meant that Rangers was able to take top spot in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday with a 2-1 win over St. Mirren. But Celtic is just a point behind and has played one game less than its fiercest rival.

Last-place Hamilton won 2-1 at Hibernian in Sunday's only league match.