2015-02-11: Partick Thistle 0-3 Celtic, SP

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

Trivia

• Celtic top on 54pts.
• Celtic top of the league by three pts with game in hand.
• Debuts for both Gary Mackay-Stevens and Stuart Armstrong.
• Both debutants scored debut goals, GMS in 43 seconds.
• Armstrong won man of the match.
• Guidetti still has a barren run of games.
• Sevco [or Newcastle Colts as they were now being tagged] knocked out of Scottish Cup 2-1 by Raith Rovers, so police will sleep easy that they won't face Celtic again this season.
• Commons worry that he may not be okay for big game v Inter Milan next week.
• Lustig out injured for another month! Repeatedly on the physio bench.
• Rangers out the Scottish cup.
• Ex-Celt Paul Lambert sadly sacked from his managers position at Aston Villa.

Review

(Hellas67 of KDS)
Brilliant performance and just a continuation from our last 4/5 games or so this team is really starting to gel and hopefully going places, thought the new guys done very well although Armstrong was quieter than GMS, Guidetti was very good and deserved a goal and Johansen was, well, Johansen. At times it seems as if every player can play in numerous positions and they are always switching their roles to cover their team mates.

We all know that although Inter aren't having the best of times in Serie A at the moment but are still a cut above our Scottish opponents but they way we are playing at the moment and the way the team fights for each other who knows what a packed Celtic Park can inspire this team to do!!

Very pleased with our performances of late.

(Speedy G of KDS)
Imperious.
Thought Johannsen was outstanding so it's a large portion of humble pie for me. I've admittedly been very indifferent towards him earlier in the season, but now…. he really looks the part.

The debut guys fitted in as if they've been here for years. Well done boys. Armstrong in the post-match interview looked totally at ease. The same composure that he showed during the game. Excellent.

Another clean sheet too.

Well done Ronnie.

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• Winner –

Stats

Partick Thistle Celtic

Possession
62% 38%
90mins

Shots
9 12

On target
3 6

Corners
3 5

Fouls
9 14

Articles

Partick Thistle 0 – 3 Celtic: Hoops go clear

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/partick-thistle-0-3-celtic-hoops-go-clear-1-3687876
by ALAN PATTULLO

Updated on the 12 February
2015
00:33

GARY Mackay-Steven could have entranced on the back of a flaming chariot and made less of a first impression than he managed last night, when scoring after just 38 seconds of a fine debut. By comparison Stuart Armstrong,

Scorers: Celtic – Mackay-Steven (1), Armstrong (30), Johansen (66)

Celtic’s other transfer window signing from Dundee United, had a quieter first appearance – he took nearly half an hour before finding the net.

While, ostensibly, this was a match between Partick Thistle and Celtic, it quickly grew to become a tale of two young Scottish debutants. Mackay-Steven and Armstrong had barely broken free from their first huddle before they were slipping into gear for their new club. The hosts might have been meek but Celtic were clinical in the extreme as they pulled three points clear of second-placed Aberdeen, who have also played a game more.

It is beginning to look slightly ominous for those in the chasing pack. After first-half goals from Mackay-Steven and Armstrong, Stefan Johansen wrapped up the points with a third goal on 66 minutes. However, even the in-form Johansen will be happy to defer to his two new teammates when it comes to the matter of plaudits following their bright start to life at their new club.

The last time Celtic crossed the city to Firhill they secured the league title with a 5-1 win. Nothing was guaranteed by last night’s victory but with two new high-impact signings strengthening them further, Ronny Deila’s side currently look unbeatable.

Only a fine one-handed save from Scott Fox prevented Armstrong from scoring after five minutes, by which time Mackay-Steven had made his mark in remarkably swift fashion. He had already set-up John Guidetti with a scoring chance. The striker’s effort was deflected for a corner and when the home side failed to clear, Nir Bitton touched it towards Mackay-Steven, who drilled a shot past Fox. Only 38 seconds had elapsed.

Celtic looked in imperious form from the start. Indeed, title challengers Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee United could only look on with a sense of deflation. Nowhere was the feeling of desolation more marked than on Tannadice Street, the home of Armstrong and Mackay-Steven’s former employers.

They had hoped to be able to withstand the advances of Celtic until the end of the season, even though they knew the Parkhead club had tied up Mackay-Steven on a pre-contract. But negotiations on the last day of the window saw not only Mackay-Steven depart for Glasgow, but also Armstrong. The one consolation for United is that neither player is eligible for the pair of cup clashes between the teams that awaits next month.

Mackay-Steven and Armstrong were quick to make up for lost time after being excluded from Saturday’s Scottish Cup victory over Dundee because of their involvement in the previous round for United. Delia was forced to shake-up his side in any case due to injuries sustained by Kris Commons and Mikael Lustig. Leigh Griffiths was also absent after reportedly injuring an ankle in training. His place was taken by John Guidetti, himself eager to make an impression after nine games without a goal.

The on-loan striker might have struck in the opening seconds but for a desperate block from Conrad Balotoni. Although Stefan Johansen’s subsequent corner was poor, Thistle failed to clear with any conviction and Bitton nudged the ball into Mackay-Steven’s path.

Even though it was within the first minute of his first game for the club, the 24-year-old was composed enough to shoot past Fox. It was quite a start for a player who then went on to further light up the game. Thistle defender Frederic Frans had to make an untidy challenge at one point to stop his advances and was fortunate not to earn himself a booking.

One wondered whether Armstrong was feeling a little miffed at his friend’s instant impact. He had to wait until the half hour mark to appear on the score-sheet, although, in truth, he had already displayed his class. His drive after five minutes brought a good save from Fox while Armstrong also actually played a pivotal role in the run-up to his goal, as did Mackay-Steven.

The latter’s pass to Armstrong was helped on to Guidetti, who looked as though he had made a mess of the opportunity but had the presence of mind to find Armstrong, whose finish into the far corner was immaculate.

Sadly for Thistle, this was another outing that saw Craig Gordon barely tested. The Celtic goalkeeper has not been beaten since before Christmas and had to wait fully 48 minutes before saving Thistle’s first shot on target, which was a weak effort from distance by Declan McDaid.

Celtics, who made it eight games without conceding a goal, were never really tested at the back until midway through the second-half. Lyle, on his first start since returning to the club, was well marshalled by Jason Denayer and Virgil van Dijk but Thistle became to exert some belated pressure and were loud in their appeals for a penalty when Emilio Izaguirre charged down a shot from Stuart Brannigan.

But Johansen’s goal midway through the second-half signalled an end to this spell of modest pressure. The Norwegian received a pass from Guidetti and swept the ball past Fox from the edge of the box. He was later replaced by Liam Henderson and left the pitch to a rapturous reception.

However, there was no doubting who the stars of the night were even if McDaid, the Thistle striker, was rather impishly named man of the match. Mackay-Steven was rightfully loudly applauded from the field when he was substituted after 83 minutes, for Callum McGregor. Armstrong, meanwhile, lasted the pace and both him and his former Dundee United teammate look set to become players of some substance for their new side.

Partick Thistle: Fox, O’Donnell, Booth, Frans, Elliot, Osman, Balatoni, McDaid, Bannigan, Taylor, Stevenson. Subs: Craigen, Doolan, Lawless, Gallacher, Higginbotham, Richards-Everton, Fraser.

Celtic: Gordon, Matthews, Denayer, van Dijk, Izaguirre, Brown, Biton, Mackay-Steven, Johansen, Armstrong, Guidetti. Subs: Ambrose, Stokes, Scepovic, Zaluska, Fisher, McGregor, Henderson.

BBC

By Richard Wilson BBC Scotland at Firhill
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30600739
Both Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong score
Stefan Johansen adds a third for Celtic in second half
Ronny Deila's men move three points clear at top
Celtic go eight consecutive games without conceding

Celtic's two debutants scored as Partick Thistle were overcome to move the champions three points clear at the top of the Premiership.

Gary Mackay-Steven took less than a minute to register his first goal for the club, before Stuart Armstrong soon added a second.

They fitted seamlessly into the Celtic side, who attacked at times with impressive pace and precision.

The excellent Stefan Johansen added a third to secure a comfortable victory.

Craig Gordon stretched his run without conceding to eight games, with the last man to beat him being Armstrong when he was in a Dundee United shirt .

Thistle boss Alan Archibald made five changes from the weekend defeat to Inverness , but they rarely troubled the visitors as they ended a fourth game without a win.

Celtic's two ex-Dundee United stars were very quickly into their stride in their new colours.

Mackay-Steven was immediately influential, robbing Frederic Frans, scurrying forward and then feeding John Guidetti.

The result was a corner kick, and when the ball broke to Mackay-Steven inside the penalty area he turned it low and hard past Scott Fox.

With Johansen playing centrally and Armstrong on the left, there was a line of guile and penetration behind the lone striker, Guidetti. For a Partick defence that had been hapless last weekend, the challenge was daunting: how to contain Celtic's blistering attacks.

The home side were not helped by the instances when players were caught in possession, or when they tried to spring Lyle Taylor behind the Celtic defence but rushed the delivery of the pass. Taylor was able to trouble the Celtic centre-backs, but the quality of possession wasn't good enough for Thistle to take advantage.

Instead, Celtic eased into command. Johansen was prominent, playing first-time passes and clever through-balls, but so, too, was Armstrong. He did not tend to play wide while at Dundee United, but he was busy in the opening half and forced a diving save from Fox.

The goalkeeper had to be similarly sharp to save a Johansen effort after Scott Brown had robbed Stuart Bannigan.
Stuart Armstrong, the last player to score against Celtic, got his first goal for his new club.

Stuart Armstrong, the last player to score against Celtic, got his first goal for his new club

When another opportunity was presented to Armstrong, by his former United teammate Mackay-Steven, the midfielder chose to slip a clever angled pass into Guidetti's path. The striker could not finish, but returned the ball to Armstrong and he confidently converted.

Partick were not forlorn, and Taylor headed over Stephen O'Donnell's cross just before the interval.

It was the home side who were purposeful at the beginning of the second half too, with Bannigan claiming that his shot inside the area was blocked by Emilio Izaguirre's hand.

The referee Crawford Allan was close at hand and wasn't convinced it was a penalty kick, and the riled home side soon created another chance when Ryan Stevenson crossed and Taylor flicked wide from in front of the near post.

Celtic were unruffled, though, and there was time for more impressive play from Johansen, who was elegantly decisive throughout.

When Guidetti drew the Partick defenders towards him, the ball broke forward to Johansen, who clinically shot low across Fox and inside the far post.

Moments later, the midfielder chipped the ball to Guidetti at the back post, but the striker volleyed over.

Live Text Commentary
Full time

Full Time Match ends, Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 3.
90:00 +2:05 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 3.
90:00 +1:18

Attempt saved. Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
90:00 +0:09

Attempt saved. Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner.
88:06

Foul by Gary Fraser (Partick Thistle).
88:06

John Guidetti (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
85:17

Declan McDaid (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
85:17

Foul by John Guidetti (Celtic).
83:48

Callum Booth (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the right wing.
83:48

Foul by Stuart Armstrong (Celtic).
83:18

Attempt saved. Gary Fraser (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
82:36

Kris Doolan (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
82:36

Foul by Virgil van Dijk (Celtic).
82:09 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Callum McGregor replaces Gary Mackay-Steven.
80:57

Frederic Frans (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
80:51

Foul by John Guidetti (Celtic).
80:26 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Partick Thistle. Gary Fraser replaces Stuart Bannigan.
79:33

Attempt blocked. Kallum Higginbotham (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
78:29

Stuart Bannigan (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the left wing.
78:29

Foul by Darnell Fisher (Celtic).
73:53

Foul by Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle).
73:53

Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
72:54

Corner, Partick Thistle. Conceded by Jason Denayer.
71:35 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Darnell Fisher replaces Adam Matthews.
71:06 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Partick Thistle. Kris Doolan replaces Lyle Taylor.
70:48

Frederic Frans (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
70:45

Foul by Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic).
70:08 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Partick Thistle. Kallum Higginbotham replaces Christie Elliott.
69:50 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Liam Henderson replaces Stefan Johansen.
69:01

Attempt missed. John Guidetti (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
68:09

Adam Matthews (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
68:09

Foul by Christie Elliott (Partick Thistle).
65:57 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 3. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by John Guidetti.
63:58

Attempt missed. Lyle Taylor (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is high and wide to the left.
62:05

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Callum Booth.
61:47

Attempt blocked. Stuart Bannigan (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
58:13

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
58:13

Callum Booth (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
57:27

Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
57:27

Foul by Declan McDaid (Partick Thistle).
51:36

Attempt missed. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
48:10

Attempt saved. Declan McDaid (Partick Thistle) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
45:37

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
45:37

Abdul Osman (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
45:00

Second Half begins Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 2.
45:00 +0:11 Half time

Half Time First Half ends, Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 2.
44:00

Declan McDaid (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
43:57

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
41:23

Foul by Jason Denayer (Celtic).
41:23

Lyle Taylor (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
40:13

Attempt missed. Lyle Taylor (Partick Thistle) header from the centre of the box is too high.
38:27

Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
38:27

Foul by Callum Booth (Partick Thistle).
37:34

Adam Matthews (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
37:34

Foul by Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle).
35:49

Corner, Partick Thistle. Conceded by Scott Brown.
34:27

Attempt missed. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
31:41

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Declan McDaid.
29:18 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 2. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by John Guidetti.
23:46

Callum Booth (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the right wing.
23:46

Foul by Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic).
22:21

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
22:21

Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
19:39

Attempt missed. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
19:03

Foul by Frederic Frans (Partick Thistle).
19:03

Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
17:37

Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
16:41

Attempt missed. Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
15:55

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ryan Stevenson.
15:13

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Frederic Frans.
12:23

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
12:23

Callum Booth (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the right wing.
9:59

Attempt saved. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
9:05

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
9:05

Stephen O'Donnell (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the left wing.
8:45

Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
8:45

Foul by Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle).
8:22

Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
8:22

Foul by Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle).
6:35

Attempt blocked. Stuart Bannigan (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
5:43

Attempt saved. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
2:00

Corner, Partick Thistle. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
0:37 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 1. Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner.
0:37

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Conrad Balatoni.
0:29

Attempt blocked. John Guidetti (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
0:00

First Half begins.
0:00

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

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Last updated 11 Feb 2015 UK