Scott Sinclair saves the day in Celtic’s 3-1 win over Killie
It was a brilliant day at Celtic Park as the fans were in full voice, ready to celebrate a title and Brendan Rodgers’ new contract with the club.
Those in attendance were treated to one of Celtic’s more dominating performances of the season. The Hoops had nearly all the possession they wanted and after a brief second-half scare from Kilmarnock, cruised to a 3-1 victory.
Once again, it was Scott Sinclair providing the boost needed for the Bhoys to make it 32-straight games undefeated in SPFL play. His dominating attacking presence had a major affect on Killie’s defense and opened the play up from the word go in this match.
Sinclair netted his 20th league goal of the season and it came at a perfect time, putting Celtic back on top after a shock deflection gave Killie hope it didn’t really deserve in the 65th minute.
Jordan Jones was credited with the goal off a deflection, perhaps a fitting response to Celtic’s opening salvo of the match.
The opening goal came courtesy of a long-range effort from midfielder Stuart Armstrong, who had his 35-yard effort deflected right in to the back of Killie’s net.
Sinclair got the second, but it was a series of great plays from teammates that got him his 20th league goal on the season. Dedryck Boyata headed a free kick across goal, with Patrick Roberts knocking the ball back across the mouth and right in to the path of a rushing Sinclair in the 71st minute.
The fun was just beginning in attack though.
Moussa Dembele made the bench and saw his return from injury in the final 20 minutes of the match. His impact was immediately felt, as Celtic stepped up the attack after going up 2-1.
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Dembele had a shot deflected and hit the post in the 76th minute, only to see James Forrest be on the ball or an easy header in to the back of the net and a satisfying 3-1 scoreline.
With Celtic bossing possession to the tune of 73 percent on the match, it seemed a matter of time before the scoreline reflected the dominance of the Bhoys on the day. Forrest’s goal provided that moment and saw the Bhoys to the full three points after a disappointing draw with Partick Thistle during the mid-week.
Sinclair and Dembele also showcased the chemistry that was witnessed before Dembele went down with injury. The give-and-go game was there from the start between the two of them and it nearly paid off moments after Forrest’s goal. However, Killie’s keeper was on his game and came out to stop the second half of a brilliant bit of play.
Beyond the scoreline, Celtic appear to be getting back to near full health at just the right time. Rodgers has looked to the Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Sevco as the next marker on the season for awhile.
Now we see both Tom Rogic and Dembele getting back in to form slowly ahead of that matchup.
Celtic will continue building to that match, meanwhile Kilmarnock saw their chances at a top-six finish go by the wayside as they sit seven points adrift of Partick Thistle after 32 matches.
The Bhoys will look to a date with Ross County next before back-to-back ties with Sevco to finish off the month of April.