2014-12-03: Celtic 1-0 Partick Thistle, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2014 – 2015 | 2014-15 Pictures

Trivia

• VvD saves us again, with another goal.
  
• Midweek Glasgow Derby against Partick Thistle.
  
• Match was being overshadowed by Hearts Chairperson Budge comign out with statemetns criticising Celtic supporters from last weekend's game, despite the disgraceful behaviour of some of the Hearts fans.
• Ronny Deila says the club could take their appeal against Aleksandar Tonev's racism charge to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
• UEFA bans fans from Legia Warsaw's next two European ties after racism by their fans.
  
• Sevco beaten 1-0 by Alloa in the Petrofac Cup (yes, exactly!), and forces manager They were two nil up on the part-timers! Ally McCoist on 800k a season as manager! LOL

Review

(Forza of KDS forum)
We were quite flat and weren't as good second half, but despite that we still could have had 4 or 5. Some good approach stuff and Johansen was very good for about 70 minutes.

Gave up our usual great opportunity from a set piece that should have seen us concede. We really need to sort out how lacking we can be at set pieces.

Think the reaction to this one is that you are going to get your share of these games over the course of the season.

I know this game was the one moved because of the Commonwealth Games, so a genuine one off occurrence, but I really do hope the Board are looking round the stadium last night and seeing that moving more and more games from a Saturday 3pm that have not been selected for TV does us absolutely no favours at all. If that was our first game of the season at home there would have 10-12,000 on the gate, live TV or not. Let's fix this early season cancellation pish once and for all.

It goes back to Barry Hearn's comments at the SFA convention yesterday. Too happy to shoot ourselves in the foot from a promotional and product placement perspective.

There are a number of grumbles among the support with the club at the moment without them needlessly moving games like St Johnstone at home to a midweek, to endure another pathetic crowd.

Teams

Celtic

Substitutes

• 06 Bitton
• 12 Scepovic
• 15 Commons
• 16 Berget
• 24 Zaluska
• 33 Kayal
• 42 McGregor

Goals

• van Dijk 60′

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)
• Audio Report: Paradise Report
  

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
  
• Result Thread
• Winner –
  

Stats

Celtic Partick Thistle
Possession
47% 53%
90
mins
Shots
21 6
On target
8 3
Corners
9 2
Fouls
4 7

Articles

Celtic 1-0 Partick Thistle: Hoops go clear at last
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/celtic-1-0-partick-thistle-hoops-go-clear-at-last-1-3624495

by
STEPHEN HALLIDAY AT CELTIC PARK

updated 00:25 Thursday 04 December 2014 published 21:39 Wednesday 03 December 2014

CELTIC opened up clear water between themselves and the chasing pack at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a victory over Partick Thistle which only their own wastefulness in front of goal prevented from being far more comprehensive.

Scorers: Celtic – van Dijk (60)

Virgil van Dijk’s sixth goal of the season, following his Scottish Cup double against Hearts on Sunday, was enough to give Ronny Deila’s team a sixth consecutive league win to take them three points clear of Inverness.

Had Celtic been less feckless in front of goal, they might have come close to matching the 6-0 hiding they dished out to Thistle on League Cup business earlier in the season. But, on an evening when the home fans took their greatest pleasure from news of Rangers’ implosion at Alloa, it was nonetheless another satisfactory 90 minutes for Deila as he continues to build momentum in a debut campaign alive with possibilities of silverware.

Ahead of his SFA appeal hearing tonight against the seven-match suspension imposed for racially abusing Aberdeen defender Shay Logan, there was a rare appearance in the Celtic starting XI for Alexsandar Tonev.

The on-loan Aston Villa winger was involved in much of the action as the home side dominated from the start, although much of his work lacked conviction and was unproductive.

He passed up an opportunity to give Celtic the perfect start in only the second minute, carelessly over-running the ball inside the Thistle penalty area after he had been released down the right by Scott Brown’s fine through pass.

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Of the attacking midfield trio detailed to support striker John Guidetti, it was Stefan Johansen who looked far likelier than either Tonev or Anthony Stokes to provide a telling contribution.

The Norwegian international has been in eye-catching form since being released from a more defensive role in recent weeks and he set up Guidetti’s first chance of the evening, a close range header which goalkeeper Paul Gallacher did well to touch over the top.

Johansen’s movement and energy continued to pose difficulties for the visitors. He picked out a Tonev run with a perceptive pass and the Bulgarian’s first time shot was diverted wide by Gallacher diving to his right.

The former Scotland cap had plenty to do as Celtic maintained their monopoly of the ball. Gallacher’s next intervention saw him again react smartly to keep out a powerful 25-yard shot from van Dijk.

Thistle offered little in response, although right-back Stephen O’Donnell did whip in a dangerous low cross which Craig Gordon clutched bravely at the feet of Kallum Higginbotham.

Johansen soon had Celtic back on the front foot with a lay-off to Guidetti which the front man should have done better with than blaze wide from around eight yards out.

Celtic’s failure to cash in on the opportunities coming their way was almost punished by Thistle on the half-hour. Stuart Bannigan produced a terrific delivery from a free-kick on the right, picking out Abdul Osman whose header hit the top of the crossbar with Gordon beaten.

But it remained largely one-way traffic until the interval with Celtic’s profligacy continuing apace. Johansen saw a close-range shot saved by Gallacher when he should have left the keeper with no chance, then Adam Matthews volleyed wide from an inviting position after a sweeping move from the hosts.

Even the sloppiest of defending by Thistle was not punished. A mix-up between Osman and Gallacher on the edge of the penalty area looked certain to lead to the opener, but Guidetti and Brown both failed get a clean shot on goal before Stokes trundled his effort wide.

The groans of the home support were at their most audible on the stroke of half-time when Stokes skewed a shot wide from a restrictive angle when most in the stadium were screaming for him to cut the ball back to the unmarked Guidetti.

Celtic made a change at the start of the second half, Nir Bitton replacing the out-of-touch Charlie Mulgrew in midfield. Thistle continued to resist resolutely, despite the makeshift nature of their back four following the loss of first-choice central defenders Dan Seaborne and Frederic Fans just a few hours before kick-off. But it was Celtic’s own lack of a cutting edge which was the greatest barrier to them making the breakthrough. Tonev found himself in prime shooting position on the left hand side of the penalty area but sliced his shot wide of the target.

It needed a defender to show his attacking colleagues the way to goal when van Dijk finally put Celtic in front on the hour. Johansen provided a well flighted free-kick from the right which van Dijk won in the air under challenge from two defenders. The ball dropped kindly at the Dutchman’s feet and he coolly slotted it beyond Gallacher.

Deila refreshed his attack in search of further goals in the closing stages with the introduction of Kris Commons and Stefan Scepovic for Tonev and Guidetti and both should have increased Celtic’s lead. Commons was foiled by a fine save by Gallacher but Scepovic fired a woeful effort over the crossbar.

Thistle substitute Kris Doolan might have snatched the unlikeliest of points with four minutes remaining but his stinging volley was smartly saved by Gordon.

BBC
By Richard Wilson
BBC Scotland at Celtic Park •Celtic move three points clear at the top
•Virgil van Dijk nets his sixth goal of the season
•Eighth consecutive domestic win for Celtic
Virgil van Dijk's strike was enough to see off stubborn Partick Thistle and send Celtic three points clear at the top of the Premiership.

The hosts were dominant in possession and were rewarded in the second half with a smart volley from the defender.

Thistle refused to wilt though, and took heart as Celtic failed to extend their advantage.

And it took a smart late save by Craig Gordon to secure victory as he kept out Kris Doolan's hooked shot.

Celtic were not immediately commanding.

There was plenty of intent in the way they approached the game, and often their four attacking players – Aleksander Tonev, Stefan Johansen, John Guidetti and Anthony Stokes – would stand on the shoulder of Partick Thistle's back four. However, their build-up play lacked penetration.

The visitors were prepared to be aggressive when the opportunity arose, pushing their defensive line high up the field and sending their full-backs – Stephen O'Donnell in particular on the right – on attacking forays.

The result was that Celtic were squeezed, and it needed precise, deft passes at close range to try to break through the Thistle defence.

Directness was occasionally rewarded, and when Johansen slung in a cross, Guidetti's header was tipped over by Thistle goalkeeper Paul Gallacher.

Shots by Tonev and Van Dijk were also pushed wide, but there was a casualness to the home side's play, a lack of urgency and tempo, that hampered their efforts.

Thistle sought to be resolute but also incisive on the counter-attack. Their adventurousness was sporadic, but Kallum Higginbotham delivered a sweetly-struck cross-field pass to free O'Donnell on the right, and his cross had to be smothered by Gordon before James Craigen could convert.

Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk scored the only goal It was a third goal in two games for in-form Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk

Abdul Osman came even closer, with a header onto the roof of the net from Stuart Bannigan's free-kick.

Thistle could clutch onto these moments as flashes of optimism. In truth, though, Celtic could be still be self-assured even if their attacking play lacked an edge. Guidetti was frustrated as he sliced wide from Johansen's pass, while Adam Matthews volleyed wide from just inside the penalty area.

Even when Thistle suffered a momentary lapse of judgement, when Gallacher delivered the ball to Osman and the midfielder was instantly robbed near his own area, the best that Celtic could muster was a half chance that Stokes pulled wide.

Celtic tried to be less intricate after the break, and twice Van Dijk delivered excellent through balls to Tonev, but on both occasions the ball ended up striking the side-netting.

Ultimately, the Celtic centre-back took matters into his own hand, and when the ball fell to him from Johansen's free-kick, he converted confidently from close range.

Thistle did not lose their nerve, and Conrad Balatoni embarked on his own counter-attack after intercepting the ball inside his own half. After moving the ball out wide, the centre-back ended up on the end of the cross and headed wide.

For all Thistle's determination to remain relevant in the game, Celtic were always the more threatening.

That ought to have delivered a second goal, but when Stokes cut the ball back to Stefan Scepovic inside the six-yard box, the substitute scooped his shot over.


Live Text Commentary
Full time Full Time
Match ends, Celtic 1, Partick Thistle 0.
90:00 +3:00 Full time Full Time
Second Half ends, Celtic 1, Partick Thistle 0.
90:00 +2:46 Attempt blocked. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
90:00 +0:05 Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +0:05 Foul by Declan McDaid (Partick Thistle).
85:49 Attempt saved. Kris Doolan (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
84:16 Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
84:16 Foul by Stephen O'Donnell (Partick Thistle).
79:24 Substitution Substitution
Substitution, Partick Thistle. Declan McDaid replaces Stuart Bannigan.
77:30 Attempt missed. Stefan Scepovic (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
75:14 Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
74:15 Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
74:15 Foul by Kris Doolan (Partick Thistle).
71:52 Substitution Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Kris Commons replaces Aleksandar Tonev.
71:42 Substitution Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Stefan Scepovic replaces John Guidetti.
70:49 Substitution Substitution
Substitution, Partick Thistle. Steven Lawless replaces Kallum Higginbotham.
70:39 Attempt missed. Gary Fraser (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
69:03 Attempt saved. Gary Fraser (Partick Thistle) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
67:20 Attempt missed. Kris Doolan (Partick Thistle) header from the centre of the box misses to the left.
66:23 Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
.66:23 Abdul Osman (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
64:17 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Aaron Muirhead.
63:10 Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
63:10 James Craigen (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
61:05 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
60:42 Substitution Substitution
Substitution, Partick Thistle. Kris Doolan replaces Ryan Stevenson.
59:37 Goal scored Goal!
Goal! Celtic 1, Partick Thistle 0. Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Stefan Johansen.
59:11 Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
59:11 Foul by Conrad Balatoni (Partick Thistle).
57:51 Foul by Efe Ambrose (Celtic).
57:51 Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
56:09 Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
56:09 Foul by Conrad Balatoni (Partick Thistle).
52:25 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) left footed shot from long range on the right misses to the right.
50:13 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Conrad Balatoni.
49:55 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Jake Carroll.
48:16 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left.
45:56 Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
45:56 Foul by Abdul Osman (Partick Thistle).
45:00 Second Half begins Celtic 0, Partick Thistle 0.
45:00 Substitution Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Nir Bitton replaces Charlie Mulgrew.
45:00 +0:56 Half time Half Time
First Half ends, Celtic 0, Partick Thistle 0.
44:31 Attempt missed. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left.
41:17 Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
41:17 Foul by Conrad Balatoni (Partick Thistle).
40:14 Attempt missed. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
39:30 Corner, Partick Thistle. Conceded by Efe Ambrose.
38:41 Attempt missed. Adam Matthews (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
36:33 Attempt missed. Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
33:36 Delay over. They are ready to continue.
32:39 Delay in match Jake Carroll (Partick Thistle) because of an injury.
32:03 Attempt saved. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
30:35 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Conrad Balatoni.
30:15 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
29:32 Attempt missed. Abdul Osman (Partick Thistle) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left following a set piece situation.
28:55 Kallum Higginbotham (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the right wing.
28:55 Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
28:20 Attempt saved. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
27:52 Attempt missed. John Guidetti (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
26:36 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Aaron Muirhead.
25:52 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Jake Carroll.
24:39 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) header from the centre of the box misses to the right.
22:09 Attempt saved. Stephen O'Donnell (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top right corner.
16:38 Corner, Partick Thistle. Conceded by Emilio Izaguirre.
15:56 Attempt saved. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
14:43 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Paul Gallacher.
14:27 Attempt saved. Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
13:23 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Paul Gallacher.
13:12 Attempt saved. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
10:56 Attempt missed. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) header from the centre of the box misses to the right.
8:54 Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Paul Gallacher.
8:37 Attempt saved. John Guidetti (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner.
0:00 First Half begins.
0:00 Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
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