Celtic pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory over Rangers yesterday to move within a whisker of being crowned Scottish Premiership champions.
The Bhoys produced a dominant display to earn their due rewards, with Matt O’Riley’s opening strike and John Lundstram’s blunder cancelling out Cyriel Dessers’ reply before the interval.
Of course, Celtic had the advantage of playing against ten men for the entirety of the second half as Lundstram’s horror show ended in an early bath following his dismissal for a high tackle on Alistair Johnston.
Post-match, Brendan Rodgers reminded his players that they still have a job to do before they can officially celebrate winning the Scottish Premiership title.
He stated: “Living rooms, bars, and clubs throughout the world will be absolutely celebrating the victory because that’s what this derby is about. We now have to recover and look to finish the job on Wednesday night.”
Should his side manage to get over the line, few of his men will receive more credit for the triumph than Danish playmaker O’Riley, who has now taken his tally to 16 goals and 17 assists in 46 appearances this campaign [Transfermarkt].
Nevertheless, he has moved to offer two teammates the adulation they warrant for their imperative role in seeing off Rangers.
Matt O’Riley lauds Celtic’s Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda
Callum McGregor put in a captain’s display as Celtic got the better of Rangers for the third time this season, earning a Fotmob match rating of 8.5/10 for his performance, more than any other player on the field.
The Scotland international took five shots, created four chances and met his intended target with 67 out of his 72 attempted passes, putting on a masterful showing in the engine room.
Along similar lines, Daizen Maeda almost completely nullified James Tavernier with his tracking back; meanwhile, his exemplary touch and delivery forced Lundstram into his calamitous own goal.
In the aftermath of the victory, O’Riley gave his thoughts on McGregor’s performance, stating [Herald Sport]: “I thought Cal was our Man of the Match, to be fair. He is just great. He always turns up for these games especially. That’s when you need your captain at his best. We can always rely on him. It’s great to have him around.
He then elaborated by bringing Maeda into the conversation, as O’Riley added: “I thought Daizen was great as well with his work rate considering he’s been injured for a little while. He’s come back quicker than most other people ever should because he’s a robot.”
Celtic’s winning mentality is a sight to behold at Parkhead
Admittedly, it hasn’t always been pretty from Celtic this term; however, the collective available to Rodgers possesses a unique ability to grind results out, which, in turn, looks like it will be the reason his side navigate over the finish line.
Once the summer rolls around, supporters know that changes are needed to avoid a close-run thing with Rangers in 2024/25.
Nevertheless, Celtic can access the significant financial benefits of automatic entry into the new Champions League format, provided they finish the job next week.
Prospectively adding to their considerable cash reserves, Rodgers may have a chance to build an even greater winning machine heading into next term.
