Celtic opened up a six-point advantage at the top of the Scottish Premiership yesterday by comfortably seeing off Heart of Midlothian at Parkhead.
With Rangers in action later today against Kilmarnock, it remains to be seen whether they will cut the gap at the summit ahead of our upcoming Glasgow Derby.
Nevertheless, Celtic fans will be reflecting on a day of raucous noise on home soil, where a Kyogo Furuhashi brace and a late penalty from Matt O’Riley rounded off a comprehensive victory over Steven Naismith’s outfit, who had beaten Brendan Rodgers’ men in their previous two clashes.
In his post-match media conference, the Irishman cast his eye to endeavours next week in front of a full house against Rangers after dispatching Scotland’s third-best side with ease.
He stated: “It is a huge game. What really pleased me today was in a big game we had big performances and a big contribution from those players. That really sets us up well for next week.”
Now, a full week of training at Lennoxtown lies in store for the Hoops in the lead-up to facing our rivals in a match where we could all but wrap up the league title unless dramatic events unfold in Govan later today.
Pat Bonner was impressed by sharp Celtic player vs Hearts
Despite not registering a goal or assist against the Jambos, veteran winger James Forrest put in a vintage showing against Hearts yesterday, creating two chances, completing three of his four dribbles, 25 out of his 29 attempted passes and winning seven duels [Fotmob].
Appearing lighter on his feet, the 32-year-old has now made 25 appearances for Celtic this term, registering six goals and one assist across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
Speaking on BBC Radio Sportsound, Pat Bonner shared this sentiment in a positive appraisal of his resurgent nature.
Meanwhile, the former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper also jokingly suggested Rodgers took him off after 84 minutes to preserve his energy for a Scotland call-up to feature at EURO 2024 this summer.
He stated: “He looks fit, I know he (Rodgers) took him off today and brought him off also last week, but he does look sharp.
“He might be saving him for the Euros! If he got there, we would all be absolutely delighted for him, but he’s a great lad, and he’s been around this game for so long, and he deserves to go to a championship.”
James Forrest’s experience shines through for Celtic
Celtic are fortunate to have the experience of Forrest to call upon in a title race, and it is brilliant to see he is in fine fettle following a sequel of excellent performances from the Scotland international.
His ability to make the ball work for him is a sight to behold; however, it was his hard work on and off the ball that stood out yesterday, on a day where he and his teammates collectively mucked in to stifle any Hearts momentum.
With Rangers on the horizon next week, Forrest is surely in line to gain a third start in quick succession as we aim to put the title beyond doubt.