Celtic fans will have enjoyed a fantastic weekend as they soak up the buzz of the Bhoys’ 2-1 victory over Rangers yesterday afternoon.
Heading into the game, there was a wide expectation that Brendan Rodgers’ dressing room, densely populated with individuals who have been over the course, would have enough to see off Philippe Clement’s outfit.
Ultimately, they duly delivered, recording 68% possession, 22 shots on goal to the visitors’ eight, and creating three ‘big chances’ to Rangers’ two, sufficient to secure a vital three points on the day [Fotmob].
Matt O’Riley emerged as Celtic’s instigator, opening the scoring with a delightful finish that owed a lot to Callum McGregor’s swivel and pass from wide that was soon followed by John Lundstram’s own goal.
Almost immediately, Rangers hit back through Cyriel Dessers in a flurry of action before the interval, culminating in Lundstram’s red card for a horrific tackle on Alistair Johnston.
There were a couple of tetchy second-half moments despite the Bhoys holding the vast majority of control against ten men. However, Celtic withstood any late pressure, sealing three points that have left them just one point from officially being crowned champions.
Jubilation engulfed Parkhead at full-time, and Rodgers’ men eagerly await next week as they look to finish the job in style.
Callum McGregor on how the Celtic dressing room are feeling
Undoubtedly, the Celtic support weren’t the only ones delighted with themselves at full-time, as the players took full advantage of a chance to celebrate their successful day in front of a raucous crowd.
Post-match, McGregor gave an insight into the internal mindset of the Hoops’ dressing room, claiming his side will keep striving to deliver in the final league matches before giving everything in the Scottish Cup final on May 25th.
He stated [Cited via STV News]: “I can only speak for us, to be honest. I can only speak for what’s in our dressing room. And, listen it’s never going to be perfect.
“Of course, you can have bad days in these fixtures, it’s two good sides coming up against each, you need to fine details to drop for you as well, but I can only look after what’s in our dressing room and try and give the boys as much confidence and togetherness as possible, and I think so far in the games we’ve showed up reasonably well.
“We understand there’s another big one at the end of the season as well. I think the result today is obviously a big one in terms of the six points, it gives us a bit of breathing space.
“We want to go and win the next two games and and have a strong end to the season and understand that the cup final is still to play as well. I don’t think it matters if we seal it in the next game. I think we understand there’s more work to be done between now and the end of the season.
“So we try and get over the line, but we, we keep pushing and keep trying to get better.”
Celtic have shown their mettle in the title race
Celtic have faced some challenging moments this campaign and have had to recover from adversity to put themselves in a commanding position, a testament to Rodgers’ leadership and his players’ ability to respond.
This season has also served as a reminder that achieving success never comes easily despite the previous achievements the club has celebrated over the last few years.
The playing squad will be subject to some alterations come the summer, though fans will cherish days like yesterday for a long time to come, and rightfully so.