Celtic and Everton played out a goalless draw against each other in the Sydney Super Cup away in Australia. The Toffees would get the victory on penalties but on the day, one has to say that the Hoops were the much better side, dominating possession and creating chances, while Frank Lampard’s team played on the counter-attack.
Of course, that would go against the narrative of a lot of people who believe that Scottish Premiership teams cannot compete with those from the Premier League, but here was proof once again, that they can.
Celtic’s quality on the day did not come as a surprise to the Everton players though, who had spoken about it even leading up to the game.
As reported by the Daily Record, Asmir Begovic had said about Celtic ahead of the Sydney Super Cup friendly:
"“It will be a good test for us. Celtic are a very good team with a very good manager.“I’m sure there will be a great atmosphere as well. There’s always a bit of rivalry when teams from Scotland and England meet and there is the connection here with the Celtic manager as well.”"
Everton star’s assessment proven right by Celtic in Australia
It is safe to say that Begovic was proven right by Celtic, who put on a very solid performance on the day.
But once again, it was a familiar story for the Hoops, who could not take their chances in front of goal, and it is starting to feel like they need to go after a clinical striker in January because Kyogo and Giorgos Giakoumakis have not been on the top of their game this season when it comes to their finishing.
Ultimately, it proved to be a winless trip for the Bhoys but the performance against Everton was an unquestionable positive. At the same time, the fact that they did not win will give them something to think about over the World Cup break and not switch off, which might be the best thing that could have happened.
Celtic are leading the Premiership title race over the Rangers by nine points but they cannot rest on their laurels. There is still a lot of work to be done before they can take a ‘break’.