| Match Pictures | Matches: 2016 – 2017 | 2016-17 Pictures |
Trivia
- Celtic 27pts ahead ofAberdeen who are second.
- Lisbon Lions – Tommy Gemmell passed away the next day (2nd March). RIP
- Lisbon Lions: Billy McNeil’s family reveals he has dementia; we wish them all the strength in the world.
- Green Brigade announce they have raised £22k for a Lisbon Lions Tifo display, and have donated £1967 to dementia charity from this total.
- St Mary´s Chapel in Calton was vandalised a few weeks ago – their insurance only covers a minimum amount of the damage so they need help to raise the rest – any surplus will go to Alzheimers´ Scotland .
- Efe Ambrose’s move to Blackburn has fallen through due to work permit reasons (and that the Blackburn manager was sacked recently). He has now been sent to Hibs as an emergency loan to help him out.
Review
@celticfc Brendan Rodgers spoke to the media following tonight's superb victory away to @ICTFC :"A really complete performance tonight."
@celticfc BR: "That tonight was a demonstration on what we have been working on."
@celticfc BR: "Firstly defensively, very strong and aggressive and working their socks off together and denying them space to play. "
@celticfc BR: "When you have the ball, play with that charisma, quality, good rotation, mobility and penetration in the team."
@celticfc BR: "I take my hat off to the players, a brilliant performance on the back of Inverness playing well in the last few games."
(mubo L of KDS)
Absolutely fantastic result, but our 2nd half performance was even more fantastic: a delight to watch
Dembele was phenomenal, truly unplayable at times. Sinclair began the proceedings with a typical piece of magic, and Armstrong is now into double figures with his first (and perhaps last) ever Celtic free kick, courtesy of Chris Davies' guidance
To have played 27 league games, won 22 on the bounce, and have 79 from a possible 81 points whilst extending our unbeaten domestic run to 34 games starting from trophy day last May… it's beyond what any Celtic fan could have envisaged the day Brendan Rodgers became our 18th permanent manager.
One year ago exactly to the day (well technically the day after the match last night ) I walked out of Celtic Park, having booed along with the (albeit not many) thousands of others as we limped to a pathetic 0-0 draw in a game which Gary Harkins should have won for Dundee at the death.
Believe it or not, it's the only time I have ever joined other Celtic fans in chanting, for a brief moment… "Deila Deila get tae eff" http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35647579
Not something to be proud of but the team I was watching certainly did not make me feel proud that evening, and it wasn't atypical from several home displays last season.
So all I can say is thank you Brendan, please continue to work your magic at our club for many more weeks, months and years to come. 10IAR seems closer than ever
(Celtic Elvis of KDS)
I've always been a half glass empty person and always liked to moan about what was wrong with the team.
It is a bit upsetting that I am unable to question the ability of the manager as well as the efforts of the players.
I am reduced to complaining about having nothing to complain about.
The second half last night was a complete performance, really enjoying this season and could never have thought that we would have improved to such an extent.
This team deserves the treble and my only fear (which I don't think BR will allow) is that the players come to the same conclusion as much of the support, that the job is done.
Teams
Inverness CT
- 25Fon Williams
- 22McKay
- 21LaingBooked at 65mins
- 5Warren
- 2Raven
- 8Draper
- 16Tansey
- 20King
- 29ColeSubstituted forVigursat 64'minutes
- 7Polworth
- 13MckaySubstituted forAnierat 81'minutes
Substitutes
- 4McNaughton
- 9Ebbe
- 11Vigurs
- 18Fisher
- 19Boden
- 23Anier
- 42Hoban
Celtic
- 1Gordon
- 23Lustig
- 20Boyata
- 28Sviatchenko
- 63Tierney
- 8BrownSubstituted forHendersonat 78'minutes
- 6Bitton
- 16Mackay-StevenSubstituted forMcGregorat 69'minutes
- 14Armstrong
- 11Sinclair
- 10Dembele
Substitutes
- 2K Touré
- 3Izaguirre
- 9Griffiths
- 12Gamboa
- 24de Vries
- 42McGregor
- 53Henderson
Goals
- Sinclair (43' minutes),
-
Dembele (46' minutes, 73' minutes),
-
Armstrong (66' minutes)
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Forum
- Pre-match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11020548/
- Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11020967/
- Post Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11020979/
MOTM
- Voting Thread http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11020981/
- Result Thread
- Winner –
Stats
Inverness CT
Celtic
Possession
Home34%
Away66%
Shots
Home3
Away21
Shots on Target
Home2
Away9
Corners
Home1
Away6
Fouls
Home13
Away14
Articles
Inverness CT 0 – 4 Celtic: Dembele takes total to 31 goals
Celtic's Moussa Dembele scores his side's second goal. Picture: SNS
Have your say
It begins to feel like only a bingo caller could do justice to chronicling this campaign for Celtic. With the Caledonian Stadium the scene of yet one more utterly commanding victory for Brendan Rodgers’ men, they are now on a 22-game winning run in the league – three short of their own British record set 13 years ago – and have racked up 32 victories in a 33-game unbeaten domestic campaign.
In addition, two more goals for the unstoppable Moussa Dembele means he has now moved on to the 31-goal mark – with nearly three months of the season left. Finally, though, a figure almost rendered an irrelevance by Celtic’s crushing of all in their path, it needs be noted that their 27th straight domestic win in all competitions has also allowed them to move 27 points clear at the summit of the Premiership.
Celtic are relentless but last night they had unexpected help when they require no assistance. For the night will not be remembered with any great fondness by Inverness Caledonian Thistle keeper Owain Fon Williams. After the loss of a 43rd-minute opener to the brilliance of Scott Sinclair, a cautious opening to the restart resulted in the home side working the ball backwards, with Gary Warren rolling into the Welshman.
The keeper attempted to hoof upfield, but only succeeded in sending the ball spinning in the air. That allowed the on-rushing Dembele to flick it over his head and tap into an empty net.
It would be a stretch to say this was the pivotal moment of the evening since Celtic looked firmly on course for a successful trip beforehand. But, with the score 2-0, there was never any possibility of a comeback. To compound his agonies, a third goal just after the hour was the result of another aberration as Fon Williams should not have allowed a curling free-kick from Stuart Armstrong – however sweetly struck –- to beat him at his near post in the 73rd minute. That Richie Foran’s men did not suffer a 6-0 doing, as they had at Celtic Park in the Scottish Cup just over a fortnight ago, was down to slices of fortune. These followed Dembele bagging his second when he scooped the ball over the advancing Fon Williams from a terrific Kieran Tierney through ball with 17 minutes remaining.
Until Celtic turned the screw in the second period, it wasn’t a great spectacle at the Caledonian Stadium. Neither side could be particularly blamed for that fact. The encounter developed as if it were a training exercise where Inverness focused only on defence while Celtic provided the attack because the home side were penned in and unable to do other than seek to repel the advances of their rivals.
Celtic have recently struggled to produce the fluency and flair-filled finesse that have characterised large parts of their win-a-thon of a domestic season. That has brought no opponent closer to matching them but has stalled the time it has taken Rodgers’ side to get on top.
The Highland side defended stoutly and denied Celtic space with admirable efforts. Patently, their success over Rangers last Friday had given them a confidence injection – even if Hamilton’s win over Aberdeen on Tuesday ensured they enjoyed only the briefest respite from being the Premiership’s bottom-placed team.
Last night’s contest in the Caledonian Stadium had been framed by the fact that the 2-2 draw for Richie Foran’s men against Celtic on their own patch in September was the only domestic game Rodgers hadn’t led his team to a win in.
Even if the opener did not arrive until two minutes before the interval, there never seemed any realistic possibility Celtic would be denied at the ground a second time around.
As he has regularly throughout an immense first campaign in Scotland that hasn’t perhaps been given the deserved acknowledge because of the feats of Dembele, Sinclair was the man who proved the lock picker for Celtic to help themselves to another stash of league points.
As with so many of his previous 16 goals, not an awful lot looked on when he picked the ball up down the left channel 30 yards from goal.
That situation was transformed by the winger rounding opponents as if they were cones on a training field before swerving an unstoppable effort into the far corner.
The strike was greeted by the letting off of smoke bombs from the away end. It is only such supporter behaviour that appears capable of blotting the cloudless skies at Celtic.
BBC
By Bryn Palmer
BBC Scotland Sport
1 March 2017
From the section Football
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Scott Sinclair curled in his 17th goal of the season just before half-time
Celtic cruised to their 22nd straight Scottish Premiership victory to move 27 points clear at the top and within seven points of a sixth straight title.
Celtic dominated possession but had to wait until the 43rd minute before Scott Sinclair curled home a superb opener.
Their second came 12 seconds into the second half, Moussa Dembele tapping in after a howler from Owain Fon Williams.
Stuart Armstrong's whipped free-kick then beat the Welshman at his near post before Dembele chipped in his second.
It was the Frenchman's 31st goal of a stellar debut season, and his 11th in five games.
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Highlights: Inverness CT 0-4 Celtic
With a 27-point lead over Aberdeen with 11 games left and a huge advantage in goal difference, two more wins would effectively be enough for Celtic to retain their title.
Defeat left Caley Thistle two points adrift of Motherwell and Hamilton at the bottom.
Celtic's one 'blemish' of their entire Premiership season had come at the Caledonian Stadium way back in September, when Inverness emerged with a precious point from a 2-2 draw, despite a dominant display from the visitors.
This match followed a similar pattern initially, the champions-elect enjoying the majority of possession as they regularly manoeuvred themselves behind Caley lines, only to be repelled by the hosts' defensive resolve.
Dembele, who scored a Scottish Cup hat-trick against the same opponents last month, had a couple of early sighters; his first from a tight angle brought a comfortable save from Fon Williams, while a snap-shot from 20 yards was also easy meat for the Caley keeper.
Stuart Armstrong celebrates his goal for Celtic
Stuart Armstrong became the fifth Celtic player this season to reach double figures in goals
Gary Mackay-Steven, back in the side for the unfit James Forrest, forced the home keeper into further action with a left-foot drive that he did well to beat away for a corner.
The hosts had the odd glimpse of goal themselves, Liam Polworth with a speculative early long-ranger, while Billy Mckay cut in from the right but his left-foot shot barely troubled Craig Gordon.
With two minutes of the first half remaining, the hosts would have been congratulating themselves on a job well done.
But Sinclair showed strength to ride Ross Draper's challenge and then sublime skill to unleash a powerful 25-yarder curling beyond the reach of Fon Williams into the right corner.
If that goal was a thing of beauty, Celtic's second was pure comedy.
Inverness kicked off the second half but Gary Warren's slack back-pass was immediately intercepted by the alert Dembele, whose touch was too heavy to capitalise.
But Fon Williams made a horrendous mess of his clearing kick, slicing it up in the air. Dembele tried to hook the high ball left-footed over the keeper, but had time to readjust and meet the dropping ball with a simple right-footed finish.
That effectively settled the contest, and Sinclair should have scored again in the 51st minute after a powerful run and precise pass from Dembele, but the winger could only fire wildly over.
Moussa Dembele scores his second goal against Inverness
Dembele scored his second goal, and 31st of the season, with an exquisite finish
It mattered not. Armstrong, showing more of the form that could lead to a Scotland call-up in the next few weeks, fired in a superb free-kick from 25 yards for his 10th goal of a highly productive season, though Fon Williams had cause to look at his positioning.
Caley rallied briefly, Polworth warming Gordon's palms with a dipping volley that the Celtic keeper tipped over.
But moments later it was all over, Dembele racing away onto Kieran Tierney's excellent pass and caressing the ball over the advancing Fon Williams with a delicate chip.
The visitors – now unbeaten in 33 domestic games – might have added further to their tally, but Sinclair scuffed his effort wide when sent through on goal late on.
Post-match reaction:
Caley boss Richie Foran: "It's extremely disappointing. We lacked courage on the ball, we lacked belief on the ball. I'm not even sure Celtic got out of second gear. We never got going.
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Celtic were outstanding, says Rodgers
"I find it hard to think of a player that did well. The whole 11 lacked courage. Off the ball we were OK; on the ball we didn't want to pass forward and take responsibility.
"On the counter we had the ability but we didn't have the belief to go with it. It doesn't matter how good Celtic were. We had opportunities to play and get forward but we didn't fancy it.
"The second goal was comical. It's embarrassing. But we were poor all over the park. At least three of the goals we conceded were avoidable."
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It was an outstanding team performance. Collectively we defended very well and it was probably one of the most complete performances since I have been here.
"It is how I want the team to play – defensively very compact, hunting in packs, giving little space to the opponent and when we had the ball, attacking with fluidity and a goal threat.
Celtic's top scorers this season
Moussa Dembele 31 goals in 43 games
Scott Sinclair 17 goals in 36 games
Leigh Griffiths 13 goals in 27 games
Tom Rogic 10 goals in 27 games
Stuart Armstrong 10 goals in 34 games
"The work ethic typified the mentality of the team, with hunger and pressure from the front. That is why we have kept so many clean sheets.
"The plan coming in was to have more goal-scorers in the squad. Young Leigh (Griffiths) was outstanding last season, getting 40, and only Tom Rogic got near him with 10. But the way I like my team to play means we have an attacking threat from all areas of the team."