Celtic instant analysis as Killer Kuhn comes to the rescue

The Scottish Premiership table toppers struggled for large periods of this cup contest against the Championship leaders but secured a last-four date at Hampden Park next month thanks to a double from Adan Idah, a brace from Nicolas Kuhn and a counter by £8.5 million attacker Adam Idah Brendan Rodgers made eight changes to the side that dismantled Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in the Champions League in midweek.

Deadline day signings Auston Trusty and Alex Valle were handed their first starts as Adam Idah started up top.

However, it was the visitors who stunned the hosts when they took a shock lead on 11 minutes. Ross MacIver cracked home a low-sweet drive after Valle who had been involved in a wrestling match with Alfredo Agyeman saw his loose clearance pounced upon by the striker.

Normal service appeared to be resumed when Paulo Bernardo lashed home a stunning leveller on the volley after Reo Hatate's clipped ball into the box was brilliantly headed into the Portuguese under-21 international's path.

Back came Falkirk and McGlynn's team incredibly took the lead again in first half injury-time as Agyeman brushed off Valle and crossed for Finn Yeats to expertly guide a header home.

Celtic were struggling and Rodgers turned to his bench and threw on four players including record signing Arne Engels for Hatate and Nicolas Kuhn for the ineffective Palma on the hour mark.

The match was turned on its head within two minutes when Idah grabbed a quickfire brace German winger Kuhn worked his magic down the left wing and crossed for Idah to score with a tap-in to make it 2-2.

Moments later the Republic of Ireland striker kept his balance and composure to slot home and make it 3-2 to bail Celtic out of the hole they had dug themselves in.

It was Kuhn who sprung the offside trap and dinked the ball over Nicky Hogarth to make it 4-2 with nine minutes left. It was a touch of class from Kuhn who blasted low into the net to make it 5-2 with six minutes left on the clock.

It was tough luck on Falkirk who had contributed to a classic Scottish League Cup quarter-final but it was Celtic who won through in the end with a scoreline that is more emphatic than it sounds.

How green is my Valle?

All eyes were on the Spaniard graduate of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy. It was Valle's first start since his season-long loan signing in the summer. He will feel slightly aggrieved at the fact that he appeared to be fouled by Falkirk attacker Alfredo Agyeman in the build-up to the visitors' opening goal. Valle looked to be held back on initial viewing by the robust attacker as the ball broke to Ross MacIver who lashed home a beautiful daisy cutter that beat Kasper Schmeichel down low to his right. However, you could also argue that Valle was very weak in the exchange with Agyeman as he tried to hold a stronger man off and failed. The left-back knew he was in a real contest with the Bairns striker but didn't let the early setback drag him down as he was directly involved in the equaliser. His next piece of play was sublime as he ghosted into the area following Reo Hatate's clipped ball and then cushioned a clever and intelligent header into the path of Bernardo who volleyed home with venom. Justice appeared to be served after the first goal. Valle bounced off Agyeman again in the lead-up to the second goal by Finn Yeats which saw John McGlynn's team go in 2-1 up at the interval. It was a torrid 45 minutes for Valle who had to cope with the pace in behind and brute strength of Agyeman. It is an unforgiving environment and Valle will know the demands that are placed on him by now. He did do some decent things, especially going forward but unsurprisingly he was given the hook for Greg Taylor on the hour.

Can Auston be 'Trustyd' at centre-half?

It was always going to be a risk by Rodgers changing three of the back four that had served him so well this season so far. Celtic struggled down the left-hand side and in the centre of defence in particular as Falkirk targeted both Trusty and Valle. Agyeman sprinted away from the centre-back at 1-0 and pulled a shot across the face of goal when he ought to have got it on target. Trusty's lack of game time was being laid bare for all to see and the criticism will undoubtedly come because Celtic shelled out £6 million for his services. The ex-Sheffield United stopper looked ring-rusty, to say the least. There was a nervousness and a hesitancy about him at times and he looked unsettled on numerous occasions and that is possibly understandable. It is too early to make snap judgements on players but first impressions last and his overall performance will not have endeared him to the Celtic supporters. The back four looked disjointed for long periods and the anxiety that the likes of Trusty and Valle brought to the team caused it to be transmitted to the stands. Based on this evidence, Trusty and Valle will not be commanding a first-team jersey any time soon.

It's all 'Portugueasy' for Paulo Bernardo

What a hit the Portugal under-21 midfielder produced to level the contest on 21 minutes. Bernardo lashed an unstoppable volley past Ho in the Falkirk goal to make it 1-1. The fabulous strike was Bernardo's first goal for Celtic since he rejoined the club and signed a permanent deal. It was a peach of an effort and a top-class finish. Former Celtic player Charlie Mulgrew said this of the playmaker: "He's a top, top centre midfielder. He's only going to get better. He's got a massive future at this football club." It's hard to argue with that sentiment. Bernardo was the one bright spark of creativity and invention during an unforgettable first 45 minutes for Celtic. The high-pressing fluency and counter-pressing were missing from the hosts in the opening period but it was Bernardo who rose above the mediocrity to level the contest. He cracked a deflected free-kick wide of target in the second half but always looked the one most likely to drag his team back into the match.

Poor show from Palma 

The Honduran winger is struggling to reproduce any kind of form. He was given a rare start by Rodgers in this one and he failed to cut the mustard. He was easily dealt with by the Bairns back line and he is far too over-elaborate as he takes too many touches. Moves sometimes break down because Palma is too busy thinking what his next move will be instead of playing with pace and power and on instinct. His passing and crossing are far too inconsistent to warrant a regular starting berth and he can look lazy at times. The left winger has little or no end product and will be playing second fiddle to Daizen Maeda for a long time at this rate. His initial start to his Celtic career when he bagged some long-range goals and a Champions League counter against Atletico Madrid seems but a distant memory now and the player is trading on that reputation now. He didn't offer much in the first 45 against the Championship side and wasted a golden opportunity to stake any kind of claim for regular football. It was no surprise when Yang Hyun-Jun replaced him on the hour mark.

Killer Kuhn shows Palma how it is done

What an impact by Nicholas Kuhn. Luis Palma, are you watching? Kuhn almost single-handedly rescued the contest for Celtic. Rodgers turned to his bench for inspiration and he found it in the German winger. He set up Idah for the first of his brace with a deadly delivery into the box that only needed to be tapped home and Idah duly obliged. Kuhn is on fire and he got on the scoresheet when he bent his run magnificently and ran through one versus one with Hogarth before clipping the cutest of finishes into the net to make the game safe at 4-2. There is a clinical edge to Kuhn who has a fantastic end product which is more than can be said of other wide players on the club's books. Kuhn crashed home another low drive to make it 5-2 with nine minutes left to take his tally to an incredible five goals and six assists in just eight appearances this season already. It was Kuhn who won the game for Celtic and booked another semi-final berth. He answered the manager's call and stepped up to the plate when his team needed him most. Kuhn keeps coming up with moments that impact the game and he came up trumps again today.