2017-01-29: Celtic 4-0 Hearts, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2016 – 2017 | 2016-17 Pictures

Trivia

• Celtic on 64pts, Sevco second on 42.
• Celtic break Lisbon Lions Record: Brendan Rodgers’ side extended their unbeaten domestic run since the start of the season to 27 games, one more than Jock Stein’s all-conquering side of 1966/67.
• Dembele, Griffiths & Armstrong out with injuries.
• Craig Gordon possibly playing his last game, Chelsea are after him for £3m bid
• Green Brigade: Presentation made to Palestinian Charities for £176k raised in appeal following matches v HBS earlier in season.
• Eboue still to start
• Transfer window to close in two days.

Review

Brendan Rodgers:
“Because this is a club with a history, of that there is no doubt. 129 years”

Twitter:
Interestingly: Celtic team of players out today is very strong:
Team that didn’t start today.
De Vries Lustig Toure Sviatchenko Izzy Eboue Armstrong Rogic Henderson Dembele Griffiths

(Fatboab of KDS)
Huffed and puffed a bit first half trying to find a rhythm, but that’s understandable given the changes we had to make. Hertz chose to sit in and it made for a flat half hour. The goal changed the game, and came as a result of the tactical switch , moving Sinclair left and putting Forest right.. McGregor took his chance well.
Second half started slowly, they got a bit narky and left a foot or two in, and obviously got a compliant ref, but ŵe finally unpicked them, then battered them to within an inch or two of their dirty Hun lives.
Excellent last twenty five minutes, and a very useful cameo from Liam Henderson. His link up play with Tierney brought a couple of well deserved goals. A Domestic Record, a huge crowd and a BR lap of honour. All good. Now for the Sheep.

(Rhodus of KDS)
I need to wake up some time but not soon.

Having been satisfied a with what we were doing a few weeks ago, I am now gobsmacked, open-mouthed, staggered at what I am seeing.

Was that really Biton playing out there today ?
Was that really Boyota looking like the King of Scotland at the back. ?
Who is that too-good-to-be-Neville at RB ?
Was that really Liam Henderson who delivered those two delicious defence-splitting passes to give Sinclair and Roberts goals ?
Hey Chelsea. Are you watching this ? You do not want to be drawn against us in the CL next year. We might just whup your ass,

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Stats

Celtic
Hearts

Possession
Home67%
Away33%

Shots
Home16
Away5

Shots on Target
Home6
Away1

Corners
Home10
Away1

Fouls
Home6
Away1

Articles

Celtic 4 – 0 Hearts: Celtic break 50-year record
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/celtic-4-0-hearts-celtic-break-50-year-record-1-4352097
Celtic went one better than the Lisbon Lions with a convincing 4-0 Ladbrokes Premiership win over Hearts at Parkhead.

200 Voices: find out more about the people who have shaped Scotland

Midfielder Callum McGregor, who only started because Stuart Armstrong pulled up injured in the warm-up, opened the scoring with a well-taken goal on the half-hour mark.

Patrick Roberts scored in between a Scott Sinclair double – the second from the spot in the dying minutes – as Brendan Rodgers’ side extended their unbeaten domestic run since the start of the season to 27 games, one more than Jock Stein’s all-conquering side of 1966/67.

That the Hoops cruised to victory without recognised strikers Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths, out with respective knee and calf injuries, and Armstrong, is testament to Celtic’s power in Scotland and the 17th consecutive league victory restored their 22-point lead at the top of the table over Old Firm rivals Rangers.

Rodgers initially made only one change to his side, Roberts replacing Dembele with winger Sinclair leading the line but Armstrong’s injury meant McGregor was brought in with left-back Emilio Izaguirre joining the substitutes.

Stoke City’s 21-year-old winger Moha El Ouriachi Choulay, signed on loan until the end of the season on Saturday, started on Hearts bench as did fellow new boy Dylan Nguene Bikey.

In the 16th minute of a low-key start to the game, Hearts defender John Souttar was robbed inside the box by James Forrest when he dallied in possession and was relieved to see the offside flag up when the loose ball fell to Sinclair 12 yards from goal.

Roberts was causing problems for the Edinburgh side down the right-hand side but it was Sinclair’s good work through the middle which led to the opener.

The former Manchester City player sent McGregor through on goal with a fine pass and he quickly knocked the ball past keeper Jack Hamilton and in off the post for his third goal of the season.

Occasional moments of slackness in the Celtic defence offered some hope for Hearts and seconds before the interval Jamie Walker headed an in-swinging Malaury Martin free-kick just over the bar from 12 yards.

Roberts switched to centre-forward for the start of the second-half in which the Tynecastle side found themselves under immediate pressure, full-back Liam Smith getting a saving tackle on Forrest as the winger set himself to pull the trigger 10 yards out.

As Celtic stepped up the pace further, Sinclair’s cross looked like it might have struck the arm of Souttar before going behind but referee Bobby Madden gave the corner.

Most of the heat had left the home side’s attacks but in the 69th minute Roberts fired wide from just outside the box, while moments later at the other end, Craig Gordon pulled off a fine save from Martin’s drive, following a Gorgie counter.

As play stretched, Sinclair should have made it 2-0 from left-back Kieran Tierney’s cross to the back post but failed to connect properly and missed the target.

However, after defender Aaron Hughes blocked another cross from Tierney to almost put the ball into his own net, the Hoops winger bundled it over the line and when Tierney again raced down the left, this time he picked out Roberts with a pass and he hammered the ball high into the net from 10 yards.

With minutes remaining Souttar was carried from the field on a stretcher after picking up an injury, leaving the visitors to finish the game with 10 men as they had used up their three substitutes.

However, there was time for Sinclair to slam in a penalty after Tynecastle defender Lennard Sowah fouled Hoops substitute Jack Aitchison, who had replaced Roberts, inside the box, completing a miserable day for Hearts and a record-breaking afternoon for Celtic.

BBC

By Tom English

BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

1 hour ago From the section Football

Callum McGregor
Callum McGregor celebrates after giving Celtic the lead

Celtic dispatched Hearts to extend their unbeaten domestic run under Brendan Rodgers to 27 matches, breaking the 50-year-old record set by the Lisbon Lions.

Callum McGregor put Celtic ahead after being played in by Scott Sinclair, before the ex-Swansea man doubled the lead after the break.

The excellent Kieran Tierney teed up Patrick Roberts to make it 3-0.

Sinclair scored from the spot late on to round off a comfortable victory.

Celtic’s dominance under Rodgers has been almost total, with only two points dropped in the entire league campaign to date.

Those dropped points came courtesy of a last-minute equaliser from Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s Alex Fisher on 18 September. It is 17 straight league wins since then for the champions.

Celtic were missing some amount of firepower, with Moussa Dembele ruled out because of a knee injury and Leigh Griffiths missing with a sore calf. Stuart Armstrong didn’t make it either, even though he was named in the starting line-up. The midfielder suffered a recurrence of a calf problem in the warm-up and was replaced by McGregor.

He was not a bad deputy as it turned out. It was McGregor’s goal, after half an hour, that sent Celtic on their way to a record.

The goal was clinical, with Celtic taking advantage of the softness in the Hearts defence. Sinclair had begun as an emergency centre-forward but soon moved to his usual spot wide on the left – and it was from there that he created it. He cut through a gap with ease and then picked out the on-rushing McGregor, who beat Jack Hamilton with a shot that went in off the inside of his left-hand post.
Eboue Kouassi
New Celtic signing Eboue Kouassi was introduced to the fans at half-time

In the absence of Arnaud Djoum, Faycal Rherras – at the Africa Cup of Nations – and the injured Callum Paterson, Ian Cathro is throwing new players into his team on a weekly basis.

Mohammed Choulay was the latest to make a debut, off the bench, and there are more players to follow, it seems. They are needed – in all areas.

Hearts did not raise much of a gallop in the opening half. The only time they created a frisson of excitement for their supporters was when Celtic gifted them possession, which happened a number of times. Craig Gordon, a much-talked about goalkeeper, was guilty twice and had Hearts had any composure they might have made the Chelsea target suffer. They didn’t.

They looked vulnerable at the back – John Souttar had a poor day, which got worse as he was carried off on a stretcher a few minutes from the end with what appeared to be a serious Achilles injury. They had little presence in the middle of the park and nothing to speak of up front. Having sold Igor Rossi and Alim Ozturk, they will wait anxiously for news of Souttar’s injury.

Celtic could have made it two but James Forrest was denied by a fine covering tackle by Liam Smith. Hearts then, finally, found something when Martin forced a save from Gordon. That was it for them. They were over-run from that point on.
Scott Sinclair
Scott Sinclair makes it 4-0 from the penalty spot, his 15th goal of the season

Rodgers’ team were unimpressive for the first hour, operating in third gear, which was still good enough to control the game. They raised their tempo later on, not long after that minor scare from Martin.

And it was Tierney who took hold of things, pinging in a low cross form the left which Aaron Hughes failed badly to deal with. Sinclair slid in to score the second. Minutes later, from a clever Liam Henderson ball, Tierney cut it back to Roberts for the third.

When Lennard Sowah took down substitute Jack Aitchison in the dying minutes, Sinclair made it four from the penalty spot. Even without their two principal attackers, and not hitting their straps the way we know they can, Celtic swatted Hearts aside. That’s two wins in eight for Cathro now. Another sobering lesson for the new Hearts manager.

Match ends, Celtic 4, Heart of Midlothian 0.
Full Time
90’+5′

Second Half ends, Celtic 4, Heart of Midlothian 0.
90’+4′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Liam Smith.
90’+4′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Jamie Walker.
Goal!
90’+1′

Goal! Celtic 4, Heart of Midlothian 0. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
90’+1′

Penalty Celtic. Jack Aitchison draws a foul in the penalty area.
90′

Penalty conceded by Lennard Sowah (Heart of Midlothian) after a foul in the penalty area.
86′

Attempt blocked. Liam Henderson (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
85′

Attempt missed. Bjorn Johnsen (Heart of Midlothian) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.
83′

(Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
83′

Foul by Conor Sammon (Heart of Midlothian).
Substitution
82′

Substitution, Celtic. Jack Aitchison replaces Patrick Roberts.
82′

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
82′

Foul by Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian).
Substitution
81′

Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Angus Beith replaces Perry Kitchen.
Goal!
80′

Goal! Celtic 3, Heart of Midlothian 0. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) left footed shot from very close range to the top right corner. Assisted by Kieran Tierney.
Substitution
79′

Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Conor Sammon replaces Malaury Martin.
Substitution
78′

Substitution, Celtic. Mikael Lustig replaces Cristian Gamboa.
Goal!
77′

Goal! Celtic 2, Heart of Midlothian 0. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner.
73′

Attempt missed. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
73′

Attempt saved. Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
68′

Attempt missed. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution
67′

Substitution, Celtic. Liam Henderson replaces James Forrest.
66′

Attempt blocked. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
65′

Foul by Cristian Gamboa (Celtic).
65′

Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
61′

Attempt saved. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution
59′

Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Moha replaces Sam Nicholson.
58′

Corner, Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Dedryck Boyata.
56′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by John Souttar.
Booking
55′

Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
55′

Cristian Gamboa (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
55′

Foul by Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian).
55′

Attempt saved. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
54′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Liam Smith.
52′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Lennard Sowah.
51′

Cristian Gamboa (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
51′

Foul by Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian).
51′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Liam Smith.
48′

Attempt missed. Cristian Gamboa (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
48′

Scott Sinclair (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
48′

Foul by Liam Smith (Heart of Midlothian).
47′

Attempt blocked. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
46′

Scott Sinclair (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
46′

Foul by John Souttar (Heart of Midlothian).
Second Half

Second Half begins Celtic 1, Heart of Midlothian 0.
Half Time
45’+2′

First Half ends, Celtic 1, Heart of Midlothian 0.
45’+1′

Attempt missed. Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high following a set piece situation.
45’+1′

Foul by Cristian Gamboa (Celtic).
45’+1′

Lennard Sowah (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick on the left wing.
45′

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
45′

Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick on the left wing.
44′

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
44′

Foul by Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian).
44′

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
44′

Foul by Sam Nicholson (Heart of Midlothian).
42′

Foul by Cristian Gamboa (Celtic).
42′

Lennard Sowah (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick on the left wing.
37′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by John Souttar.
36′

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
36′

Foul by Sam Nicholson (Heart of Midlothian).
36′

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
36′

Foul by Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian).
31′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by John Souttar.
31′

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
31′

Foul by Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian).
Goal!
29′

Goal! Celtic 1, Heart of Midlothian 0. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Scott Sinclair.
27′

Foul by Dedryck Boyata (Celtic).
27′

Sam Nicholson (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22′

Patrick Roberts (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22′

Foul by Lennard Sowah (Heart of Midlothian).
20′

Attempt missed. Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
19′

Attempt missed. Jozo Simunovic (Celtic) right footed shot from more than 35 yards misses to the left.
18′

James Forrest (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
18′

Foul by Sam Nicholson (Heart of Midlothian).
17′

Attempt missed. Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
16′

Foul by Jozo Simunovic (Celtic).
16′

Bjorn Johnsen (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
14′

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
14′

Foul by Liam Smith (Heart of Midlothian).
13′

Attempt blocked. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
9′

Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
9′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Perry Kitchen.
9′

Attempt blocked. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
9′

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Aaron Hughes.
1′

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
1′

Foul by Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian).
Kick Off

First Half begins.

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.