Scott McDonald led the way as Celtic showed their determination to hold onto the Co-operative Insurance Cup by dumping Falkirk out 4-0 in front of their own fans.

The striker helped himself to a double on a night when several fringe players also shone for the Hoops, with Pat McCourt netting his first goal for the club and Chris Killen completing the rout.

Falkirk did strike the woodwork late on but the outcome never appeared in doubt as the holders cruised into the quarter-finals.

Celtic had an early opportunity to pile the pressure on their hosts when McDonald was fouled just outside the box by Darren Barr. Barry Robson stepped up for the free-kick and his effort clipped the Falkirk wall before falling across the face of goal and wide of the post.

Falkirk had a decent chance of their own when Willo Flood failed to clear the danger and the ball broke for Carl Finnigan. He tried to hook over Lukasz Zaluska but his shot took a slight deflection off Paul Caddis and was wide of target.

The breakthrough came after 28 minutes when Killen released Caddis down the right flank and he embarked on an impressive run before squaring into the path of McDonald and all that was required from the striker was a simple tap-in from close range.

McDonald claimed his second of the night eight minutes after the restart. A McCourt corner found Gary Caldwell at the far post but his header was blocked and the ball fell kindly for McDonald, who turned and dispatched into the back of the net from a few yards out.

McCourt himself was on the scoresheet after 64 minutes with the best goal of the night. The Irishman beat several players, with Brian McLean's last-ditch attempt to halt his run proving to be in vain, before cheekily lobbing the goalkeeper.

Not to be outdone, Killen rifled home a right-foot shot from 10 yards with 73 minutes gone after collecting a low cross from Niall McGinn, who had exhibited superb pace down the right flank.

Falkirk were denied a consolation goal late on when former Celtic youngster Kjartan Finnbogason saw his header crash off the crossbar on what proved to be a deeply disappointing night for Eddie May's men.