2015-11-29: Inverness CT 1-3 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2015 – 2016 | 2015-16 Pictures

Trivia

• Back to the league. Celtic out of European football (one game left in Europa group stage which is just academic for us).
• Celtic go further ahead as Hearts drop points.
• Carlton Cole debut.
• Scott Allan and Tierney continue to impress.
• Stokes makes arse of himself by venting frustration on being taken to Inverness but not still getting a game.
• Carlton Cole kind of involved in the final goal, a bit of a comedy goal which some will attribute to him.
• Sevco hold their AGM, claim to be paying the Living Wage to employees. Press praise them for it and criticise Celtic only for it to be noted that actually they are not signing up to it, and actually are following Celtic. The contrast in the reporting of the Living Wage issue between the two is stark. Both boards should sign up.
• Tennis: Andy Murray & his brother lead the British team to win the David Cup (a team event) for the first time since 1936.

Review

(Bawman of KDS)
First things first.

Our back four should be the one that started today. They are our best, (for all their faults), combination.
The problem is Lustig is as reliable as a sunny day in Paisley while Tierney has got 70 good minutes in him before needing to be stretchered off in a diving bell. Truth be told. I think we need a new CB and a new RB in January. Simunovic and Tierney look decent together on the LHS and could, over time, lock that down entirely. For now though, what we saw today is our best defence.

When McGregor first burst onto the scene I thought we might have picked a winner but mediocrity kicked in. Here he is again. TBH he's the epitome of a squad player, giving you a wee boost here and there and holding the jersey in the meantime. That's two games on the bounce he has scored for a Celtic team struggling to finish it's pieces. That can't be underestimated at this point.

Johansen and Bitton. Their lockers should be replaced with giant mirrors so they can take a right good look at themselves.

Allan looks promising without being particularly outstanding. He's tidy and creative but maybe a run of games will allow him to blossom.

Carlton Cole. He's our equivalent of the John Greig statue. Opposing players will be putting flowers at his feet before he shows up doing weird things like scoring with his fingernails and getting booked for blinking with intent. An enigma wrapped in a mystery, shrouded in a WTF, touched by the Gods.

3-1, what's not to like? I'm sure some of you torn faced carrots will find something.

(jbj of KDS)
Good result today and the manager and squad deserve the credit for it.
However it just buys the club a bit of time as if things had gone wrong then we would have been under more pressure.
Good as it is, we are still faced with the problem of what to do about Ronnie.
No-one seriously believes that we will not win the league and that is the most important prize left to us as it gives a chance at earning real money in the CL.
The cups would be a nice bonus as the history books tell us how difficult we find it to win a treble.
Should Ronnie carry that off it is inconceivable to me that the board would punt him, despite what Collins was saying!
If the board have faith in Ronnie they need to deliver for him in January.
He has already said that we need some more experience.
For me we need a CB that organises the back four. Neither Boyata nor Simunovic have the experience nor mentality to do it at present.
Lustig is a fine player but too injury prone to be a long term solution
Tierney might be a player but needs nurtured rather than played week in week out.
In midfield we need at least one genuine holding player, preferable someone who knows when to leave the foot in and stop teams taking liberties with us!
We need a real clear out of all those that the manager doesn't want.
He also needs to settle on a front four and play them regularly.
McGregor is typical of those nearly men that we are full of, guys that come in for a few games then drift out of the picture.
Do I think all this will happen?
Sadly no, instead we will continue to bobble along doing the minimum required to win the league.
January will see one or two moved on and maybe one brought in and we will be fed the usual "January is a difficult time to get the players you really want" line.
Procrastination is the name of our game it seems

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Stats

Inverness Caledonian Thistlev Celtic
Possession
52% 48%
90mins

Shots
6 9

On target
2 5

Corners
4 8

Fouls
12 10

Articles

Inverness CT 1 – 3 Celtic: Hoops bounce back
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/inverness-ct-1-3-celtic-hoops-bounce-back-1-3961750

Celtic moved seven points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership with a 3-1 win over Inverness at a freezing Tulloch Caledonian Thistle Stadium.

Ronny Deila’s side crashed out of the Europa League with a 2-1 defeat to Ajax on Thursday night which left the Norwegian boss under increasing pressure but they returned to domestic duty to show their mettle.

Midfielder Callum McGregor was on target with a fine drive from distance with only seven minutes gone but that was cancelled out by Caley striker Miles Storey in the 39th minute.

Inverness matched Celtic into the second half but in the 59th minute Leigh Griffiths drove in a Kieran Tierney cross and with five minutes remaining substitute Carlton Cole, making his debut, tangled with Danny Devine with the ball ending up in the net for an untidy but satisfactory conclusion for the champions.

The visitors were boosted by the return of midfielders Nir Bitton and Stefan Johansen from suspension with Gary Mackay-Steven dropped to the bench and James Forrest out altogether.

Captain Gary Warren and Ross Draper returned for the home side at the expense of Lewis Horner, who started as substitute, with Carl Tremarco missing from a six-man bench.

Inverness’ pitch had survived a morning inspection but there appeared to be plenty of surface water and conditions underfoot were tricky.

However, there was nothing tentative about McGregor when he drove at the Inverness defence and in the absence of anything resembling a challenge he almost casually drove the ball from 20 yards past Owain Fon Williams and into the corner of the net.

The goal spurred the home side into action and moments later Warren’s powerful close-range header from a Storey corner was blocked by Hoops keeper Craig Gordon before Josh Meekings curled the ball wide of the far post.

The heat dropped out of the match until a surge of energy six minutes from the interval saw Inverness level.

Storey raced through the middle of the Hoops defence rather easily after taking a Liam Polworth pass and although his first effort from point-blank range was saved by Gordon, the 21-year-old slipped the loose ball into the empty net.

John Hughes’ side started the second half in positive mode with Draper heading a cross from Meekings past Gordon’s left-hand post but Celtic slowly grew stronger.

Scott Allan replaced Stuart Armstrong in the 55th minute and four minutes later he set up 18-year-old left-back Tierney down the left-hand side and his cut-back was promptly and confidently swept into the net by Griffiths from six yards.

With the travelling fans still celebrating, Cole replaced Tom Rogic to make his Hoops debut.

The former West Ham striker was denied a goal moments later when his close-range header from a McGregor cross was pushed over the bar by Williams for a corner which was again defended by the home side.

Tobi Sho-Silva and Andrea Mutombo came on for Iain Vigurs and James Vincent in the 73rd minute as Inverness went all out for the equaliser and moments later, from Greg Tansey’s corner, Johansen had to clear off the line.

But with five minutes remaining, after Williams had parried a Griffiths shot, Cole failed to get his rebound shot away and when he and Devine tussled on the ground the ball somehow ended up in the net.

BBC
By Martin Dowden BBC Scotland

Celtic went seven points clear at the top of the Premiership with victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Callum McGregor, for the second successive match, provided the early inspiration with a confident strike.

Inverness striker Miles Storey rounded goalkeeper Craig Gordon to equalise.

But Leigh Griffiths, who apologised for missing several changes in the Europa League defeat against Ajax, scored from close range before Danny Devine found his own net.

Defeat leaves Inverness only two points ahead of the relegation play-off place but, given the tightness of the league, within four of the top six.

Conditions in the build up to the match were fairly atrocious but thankfully subsided to allow the game to proceed.

Celtic seized an early initiative when McGregor, who struck early in the midweek defeat by Ajax, used the wet surface to arrow a low shot beyond goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams into the corner.

Inverness responded well, with Gary Warren going close with a header from a corner and Josh Meekings sliding a right-foot curler wide.

Celtic's Mikael Lustig narrowly missed with another header from a corner when he really ought to have hit the target.

A lack of support for Storey seemed problematic in terms of Inverness sustaining any pressure, but they did begin to pin Celtic back without overly troubling Gordon.

Set-pieces often make Celtic look fragile at the back and, on occasions, they seemed to get away with balls into dangerous areas.
Celtic's Carlton Cole and Leigh Griffiths celebrate

Carlton Cole (left) had a hand in Celtic's third goal on his debut for the Scottish champions

Celtic, though, also carried a threat from set-pieces, with Jozo Simunovic close with a looping header back across goal that narrowly evaded the far post.

The game became flat after a bright start as Inverness contained Celtic's threat well.

Pressure on the ball allowed Storey to use his pace as he ran through on Gordon and, while the goalkeeper did well to parry, the striker reacted well and slotted home the rebound to put the home side level.

Celtic needed more creativity and introduced Scott Allan at the expense of Stuart Armstrong, who was looking short of confidence.

The former Hibernian midfielder provided a spark, and combined superbly with Kieran Tierney on the left. Griffiths was the beneficiary as he slammed a low cross home from close range.

Debutant Carlton Cole then almost made an immediate impact after superb work on the right from McGregor and, although the striker did everything right in heading the ball down, Fon Williams got a touch over the bar.

Caley Thistle manager John Hughes signalled almost all-out attack as the game neared a conclusion and Stefan Johansen rescued Celtic with a clearance off the line as the ball edged towards goal from a corner.

However, when Cole looked certain to score, the ball eventually hit his hand, came off Devine and rolled into the net to secure the three points.

It will be a welcome result for Celtic after a difficult week for Deila with a cushion now in the league that many would believe sets them up to retain their title.
Live Text Commentary
Full time

Full Time Match ends, Inverness CT 1, Celtic 3.
90:00 +2:11 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Inverness CT 1, Celtic 3.
90:00 +1:43

Attempt missed. Tobi Sho-Silva (Inverness CT) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right.
90:00 +1:08 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Gary Mackay-Steven replaces Leigh Griffiths.
90:00 +0:38

Attempt missed. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
90:00 +0:03

Attempt saved. Carlton Cole (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
84:32 Goal scored

Goal! Own Goal by Danny Devine, Inverness CT. Inverness CT 1, Celtic 3.
84:32

Attempt saved. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
83:27 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Inverness CT. Lewis Horner replaces Liam Polworth.
81:32

Gary Warren (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the left wing.
81:32

Foul by Carlton Cole (Celtic).
79:02

Foul by Gary Warren (Inverness CT).
79:02

Carlton Cole (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
75:36

Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Dedryck Boyata.
74:55

Liam Polworth (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
74:55

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
73:49 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Inverness CT. Tobi Sho-Silva replaces Iain Vigurs.
73:36 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Inverness CT. Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo replaces James Vincent.
72:15

Iain Vigurs (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
72:15

Foul by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
69:15

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Gary Warren.
68:25

Danny Devine (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
68:25

Foul by Carlton Cole (Celtic).
65:40 Booking

Booking Nir Bitton (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
63:54

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Owain Fon Williams.
63:34

Attempt saved. Carlton Cole (Celtic) header from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
61:26

James Vincent (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
61:26

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
60:49

Foul by Ross Draper (Inverness CT).
60:49

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
60:33 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Carlton Cole replaces Tomas Rogic.
58:49 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Inverness CT 1, Celtic 2. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Scott Allan.
55:25

Hand ball by Ross Draper (Inverness CT).
53:57 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Scott Allan replaces Stuart Armstrong.
53:33

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Gary Warren.
51:49

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ross Draper.
51:25

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Danny Devine.
50:28

Foul by Josh Meekings (Inverness CT).
50:28

Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
49:23

Attempt missed. Ross Draper (Inverness CT) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
45:00

Second Half begins Inverness CT 1, Celtic 1.
45:00 +0:02 Half time

Half Time First Half ends, Inverness CT 1, Celtic 1.
42:21

Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
40:39

James Vincent (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
40:27

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
38:37 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Inverness CT 1, Celtic 1. Miles Storey (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal.
36:37

Foul by Josh Meekings (Inverness CT).
36:37

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
35:35

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Danny Devine.
31:54

Foul by Tomas Rogic (Celtic).
31:54

Danny Williams (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the left wing.
30:46

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
30:46

Foul by Danny Williams (Inverness CT).
27:48

Foul by Stuart Armstrong (Celtic).
27:48

Josh Meekings (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
26:32

Foul by Iain Vigurs (Inverness CT).
26:32

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
25:18

Foul by Kieran Tierney (Celtic).
25:18

Liam Polworth (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the left wing.
24:22

Attempt missed. Mikael Lustig (Celtic) header from the right side of the six yard box is just a bit too high following a corner.
23:36

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Gary Warren.
22:00

Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Mikael Lustig.
21:06

Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.
17:50

Attempt missed. Miles Storey (Inverness CT) right footed shot from long range on the left is high and wide to the right.
15:07

Foul by Danny Williams (Inverness CT).
15:07

Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
13:49

Foul by Greg Tansey (Inverness CT).
13:49

Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
11:35

Foul by Ross Draper (Inverness CT).
11:35

Tomas Rogic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
10:51

Attempt missed. Mikael Lustig (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
10:24

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Danny Devine.
9:43

Attempt missed. Josh Meekings (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
9:17

Attempt blocked. Ross Draper (Inverness CT) header from very close range is blocked.
8:44

Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Jozo Simunovic.
6:56 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Inverness CT 0, Celtic 1. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Nir Bitton.
5:10

Hand ball by Ross Draper (Inverness CT).
2:03

Foul by Tomas Rogic (Celtic).
2:03

Danny Devine (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the right wing.
1:09

Foul by Miles Storey (Inverness CT).
1:09

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
0:00

First Half begins.
0:00

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

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