68
mins
After an encouraging opening spell
Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies will be
disappointed with his defence as Celtic took the
lead with the first effort on goal from either side
after 10 minutes.
Shaun Maloney whipped in a corner, and one of the shortest players on the pitch, McDonald, lost his marker to head the visitors in front.
Alan Combe reacted well to tip the ball away, when McGeady flashed a shot across goal after playing a neat one-two with Nakamura.
And the Maloney-McDonald corner routine almost paid dividends again, when the Australian nodded just wide from a similar position on 26 minutes.
As Kilmarnock tried to get a foothold in the match both James Fowler and Manuel Pascali were booked for challenges on McGeady.
Killie forward Invincible was wide of the mark with a curling shot, but he failed to see Taouil who was unmarked to his right.
Nakamura's heavy challenge on Craig Bryson brought him a yellow card, before the Japanese doubled Celtic's lead from a fizzing trademark free-kick from 25 yards in first-half stoppage time.
The visitors pressed after the re-start and within minutes Paul Hartley, who replaced Namakura, was inches off target with a low drive.
Kilmarnock needed desperately to score, but found it difficult to fashion chances as Celtic controlled the match comfortably.
But Danny Invincible did pull a goal back on 67 minutes, when Pascali headed Taouil's deep free-kick across the six yard box, where the Australian slid in to score.
And just as the match looked set for a grandstand finale, Brown drove forward and slipped the ball to McGeady, who steered it past Combe to cement Gordon Strachan's side's passage to the semi-finals.
Sandy's Match Pic's are HERE
