Celtic back on track against Partick Thistle
By Nick McAdam
Celtic had to find a way to rebound after a tough loss at Hearts last weekend. Brendan Rodgers side did ever so well to get back on track in the Scottish Premiership.
Goals came from Stuart Armstrong and Kieran Tierney as the Bhoys blanked Partick Thistle at Paradise by a score of 2-0. Add another clean sheet to Craig Gordon’s long list so far in the campaign.
The 69 game win streak domestically may be over, but Celtic have an active streak that the club and fans alike can be proud of. It’s been over two years since a club in the league has come into Celtic Park and defeated the Hoops. That streak only continued today.
Armstrong submerged himself into the play early on by sending in an array of crosses. Scott Sinclair took a dipping shot from outside the box that went just over the bar.
Armstrong then found his way into the box around the 35th to send an absolute laser past Tomas Cerny for the lead. The shot took many including the Partick Thistle keeper by surprise, but it only continued to prove Armstrong’s excellent form as of late.
Tierney was really involved to start off the second half. The young Scot’s pin-point crosses proved trouble for the opposing defense. Mikael Lustig sent in Tierney who sent in a dangerous cross that only went just wide.
Armstrong played a nice ball towards Odsonne Edouard that got deflected right to the feet of the Frenchman. His first-time hit got tipped away by Cerny. Sinclair created a similar play for Edouard just moments later, but it only ended in the same result.
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But it was Tierney who sprinted way out of his position to accept a through ball from Sinclair to bury his chance for the much needed second goal. Great positional awareness from the 20-year-old while displaying his blistering pace.
Leigh Griffiths was brought on by Rodgers later on in the fixture. Scott Brown sent him in and the strikers shot got tipped wide. It was the only real chance from the 27-year-old whose situation with the bench only continues to heat up.
Regardless, the rest of the contest was dominated by Celtic. The match ended at 2-0 with the Celts now sitting 5 points clear at the top of the league table.
Celtic had it easy by playing an opponent that’s currently last in the table, but the level of competition only gets more difficult from here. The Hoops next three matches include Aberdeen and the derby against the Rangers – both of which are opponents sitting towards the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Some players progressed in proving their value in this contest. Others need to step it up or it might be a hard reality for them in the January window.
Next: How much left in the tank for Craig Gordon?
How would you rate the performance from the Celts today? Who is the top Celtic player at the moment? Happy with the Compper signing? Let us know in the comments below.