Hooper hits 4 as Celtic crush Raith

Gary Hooper destroyed Raith Rovers single-handedly as Celtic cruised into the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals with a 4-1 win at Parkhead on Tuesday. Hooper opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a trademark poacher's goal before Raith grabbed a shock equaliser when captain Allan Walker's long-range deflected effort found the net in the 27th minute. However, Hooper restored the Scottish champions' lead with a cool finish from James Forrest's cross eight minutes before half-time. Raith should have levelled for the second time in the 50th minute when Walker set up Brian Graham with a fine cross, but the striker headed wide from close-range. Hooper grabbed his hat-trick in the 58th minute when he finished off a fine move by drilling an angled shot in at the far post. And Hooper made it 4-1 when he tapped in from almost on the line following Beram Kayal's shot. Elsewhere in the third round, Hearts captain Marius Zaliukas went from zero to hero as the Tynecastle side beat Livingston 3-1. The Lithuanian defender was responsible for Livingston's equaliser, slipping at the vital moment to allow Marc McNulty to scamper through on goal and make it 1-1 in the second half. That cancelled out a first-half Danny Grainger goal, but Zaliukas made amends in determined fashion, bundling home two goals in the last 15 minutes to ensure there would be no cup shock in Edinburgh. Johnny Russell sent Dundee United into the last eight as the Tayside club's first goal in four games ended Queen of the South's unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 victory. Russell converted Michael Gardyne's cross at the second attempt in the 28th minute as United edged past the Second Division side at Palmerston. St Johnstone crushed 10-man Queen's Park 4-1 at McDiarmid Park, while St Mirren beat Hamilton 1-0 and Inverness defeated Stenhousemuir 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.