2017-02-11: Celtic 6-0 Inverness CT, Scottish Cup

Trivia

• Scottish Cup, Fifth Round
• Dembele again scores a hat-trick, back-to-back in matches. Cracking goals also by Lustig, Tierney & Brown.
• Celtic going for the treble. Fingers crossed.
• Celtic v St Mirren in next round (quarter-finals)
• Stories of Real Madrid wanting to push for Euro Super League etc etc. Daily Record trying to put Celtic & Sevco in the bracket.
• Celtic have announced profits of £21.4million in the six months leading up to the end of December 2016, which is up a whopping £19.8m on the same period from 2015. Massive 94.5 per cent increase in gross revenue, up from £31.4m to £61.2m.
• Tom Rogic out injured with ankle injury now for next few months, may need surgery.
• An incredible weekend in Scottish Football. The Sevco Manager is said to have resigned by the board in a strange statement late on Friday, then the manager and his team deny he's left, and it's another maelstorm down Ibrox! The rest of us all just laughed, they had created a whole new maelstorm for themselves which will lead to court action. The Huns are combusting. Their old company died in 2012, and again they are heading to the knackers with this new club.
• (Kevtic of KDS on Huns): "I find the press coverage of King behaviour astonishing. He cheated and conned his way into the hot seat by undermining Ashley and co, driving down the share value, effectively campaigning for a boycott and finally getting in through illegal concert party set up.
  "He then goes back on promise after promise from nomads and listings to investment and over investment.
  "The press would now have us believe that the management team they presented and allowed to change the business strategy were indeed inexperienced and a shower of money grubbing shysters? This team was however given support and indeed the obedient press were actually instructed to tell us how good they were?
  "He also ran a "going for 55" campaign designed to fleece the gullibillies again whilst now explaining that this was never really the plan? Once again he is not taken to task on this blatant porky.
  "I think all of this is great as Sevco are heading for a brick wall with no brakes and foot full to the floor. Truly amazing that the compliant press are letting them pull the wool over their eyes yet again.
  "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, we are the peepul.
  "They used to give it 9IAR down Govan way now it is now LIAR Great to watch"

Review

(The Man Himself of KDS)
Excellent performances pretty much all round yesterday, especially Forrest, and nice to see us pick up where we left off at McDairmid Park, albeit against far poorer opposition.

Our control of possession before the 1st goal was remarkable, with the whole team making early runs and finding space to receive the ball – shows the alertness, confidence and work ethic Rogers and his team have brought back.

Six lovely goals were no more than the team deserved.

You can see why ICT are slight favourites for relegation, in a crowded bottom 7 – even in a cup game with nothing to lose, their tactics were grim – wouldn't be at all unhappy if they go down this season.

(Fergus M of KDS)
The most impressive thing about Brendan's Celtic teams is, even when we lose key players others come in a step up to the mark. The difference he has made to many, many of those players is quite incredible. We are really starting to play with a swagger and I think we are going to see a barrow load of goals between now and the end of the season.

Sinclair and Dembele were his two major signing, the rest of them are unrecognisable to the players we had last season.

The man is a genius. A Celtic loving one at that.

Thank you, Brendan.

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Stats

Celtic
Inverness CT

Possession
Home62%
Away38%

Shots
Home25
Away3

Shots on Target
Home9
Away0

Corners
Home2
Away7

Fouls
Home14
Away20

Articles

Celtic 6 – 0 Inverness CT: Moussa Dembele nets a hat-trick as the Celts rout ICT
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/scottish-cup/celtic-6-0-inverness-ct-moussa-dembele-nets-a-hat-trick-as-the-celts-rout-ict-1-4364140
Moussa Dembele scored his second hat-trick in a week to see of Inverness CT. Picture: SNS/Craig Williamson
Moussa Dembele continues to score and continues to add to his burgeoning value as Celtic waltzed into the quarter-finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup.
200 Voices: find out more about the people who have shaped Scotland

Mikael Lustig opened the scoring with a well-taken goal. Picture: SNS/Craig Williamson
The 20-year-old’s treble came in less than 15 minutes either side of the half as he became the first Celtic player since Dixie Deans in 1974 to net back-to-back hat-tricks for the Glasgow giants, following his hat-trick against St Johnstone.
Mikael Lustig opened the scoring in what was a tempestuous first-half. Dembele doubled the lead before the break before notching his second and third before the hour mark. Kieran Tierney and Scott Brown added the icing and the cherry on the cake in the last five minutes.
Inverness rarely threatened Celtic’s unbeaten run which now stands at 15. In terms of domestic matches it goes back 30 games to the final game of last season.
A low key opening was finally punctuated in the 20th minute when Lustig followed up his rabona against St Johnstone the previous week with a well-taken goal in the six-yard box.
ICT were having problems defending their left side, giving the Swede the confidence to make a diagonal run from the right, behind the defensive line.
Nir Bitton, in keeping with his recent up-turn in form, spotted the movement and floated a delicate chip over the defence to meet Lustig. The 30-year-old embraced fellow Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic by expertly bringing the ball down over his shoulder and then turning it past Owain Fon-Williams with his left in one movement.
The first half was summed up in the 34th minute when Ross Draper flattened Erik Sviatchenko on the touchline with a heavy but fair challenge before a coming together with Scott Brown. The Celtic captain appeared to stand on his toes before the Englishman flicked out his boot at Brown, earning a yellow card from Kevin Clancy.
Celtic were unable to gather any momentum such was the stop-start nature of the encounter. Four ICT players were cautioned in the first half due to their robust approach to the match.
As Richie Foran was set to address his players only a goal down Celtic struck seconds before the game entered stoppage time.
Again the danger came down their left-hand side. James Forrest, a constant threat, sped in behind Carl Tremarco. The left-back slipped allowing Forrest an easy route into the box where he rolled the ball into the path of top scorer Dembele. The striker’s shot wasn’t the cleanest but Owain Fon-Williams in the Inverness goal was only able to divert the ball behind his back and over the line.
Any hopes of an Inverness comeback in the second half were eradicated five minutes after the restart when Demeble netted his 25th goal of the season.
Quick play outside the away side’s box freed Scott Sinclair to make his way into the area. Raven made a great last-ditch challenge but only managed to divert the ball into the path of the French star who calmly caressed it into the far corner.
Goal 26 came before the hour mark. The striker didn’t just finish the move but started it as well. He sprayed a pass out to the right for Forrest. The winger faced up Brad McKay, took him to the bye-line, sat him down as if he was about to read him a story before standing the ball up for Dembele to head in his second hat-trick within a week.
If one player on the pitch deserved a goal it was Forrest. His chance came on 66 minutes as he pounced on slack Inverness play but despite having the goal at his mercy he slid the ball wide.
The remainder of the game was a matter of how many for the home side. Inverness looked like being spared, that was until the 86th minute.
Bitton collected a loose ball on the edge of the box, played in Forrest who provided a carbon copy of the fourth goal, only it was left-back Tierney on the end of his cross, once again stood up perfectly. It may have been for Scott Sinclair but it was a few inches too high. Tierney, however, was not passing up the opportunity to get on the score sheet.
The officials showed their mercy by only adding one minute of stoppage time. Yet, even that was enough time for Celtic to net number six.
Sinclair’s centre was cut out but the ball only went as far as Brown who was careering into the box before thundering the ball into the top corner.

BBC

By Andy Campbell

BBC Sport Scotland

From the section Football

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Highlights: Celtic 6-0 Inverness CT

Moussa Dembele scored his second hat-trick in two games as Celtic routed Inverness Caledonian Thistle to reach the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Mikael Lustig latched on to Nir Bitton's chip and finished well to put the hosts ahead.

Dembele doubled the lead with a shot that squirmed under Owain Fon Williams.

The striker tucked away his second shortly after the break and headed another before Kieran Tierney nodded home and Scott Brown struck the sixth.

The draw for the next round will be made on Sunday evening.
Dembele delivers again

France Under-21 striker Dembele, who scored three as a substitute in last week's league win over St Johnstone, was back in the starting line-up and his strength and movement stretched an Inverness side shorn of confidence after a difficult season so far that has them bottom of the Premiership.

After Lustig's delicate opener, James Forrest teed the ball up for Dembele at the edge of the box and the former Fulham forward's shot found its way past Fon Williams, who could not get a strong enough hand on it.
Moussa Dembele
Dembele took his season's tally to 26

For his second, Dembele converted a loose ball on the left side of the box after David Raven's tackle on Scott Sinclair.

And Forrest set up another for the home side's top scorer, lifting the ball on to his head for a straightforward finish.

The 20-year-old's day was rounded off by an ovation from the crowd as he was replaced with Nadir Ciftci.
Long day ahead of a long trip home

Though Celtic were heavy favourites to progress, Inverness had travelled to Glasgow as the only Scottish team not to lose to Brendan Rodgers' side this season.

That 2-2 league draw in September was the last time Celtic had failed to win domestically.

But there were few signs that the Highlanders would be able to stop their hosts reaching the last eight as Rodgers' men dominated possession.
Mikael Lustig scores
Lustig's close control helped him slip the ball under Fon Williams

The Premiership leaders did lack accuracy in the final third until Bitton's excellent pass was taken down deftly and touched in by Sweden full-back Lustig for the opener.

A corner flicked on by Billy Mckay and cleared was the extent of the visitors' attacking threat in the first half and they did not fare much better after the break.
Forrest ably assists

At 4-0, Forrest should have marked his impressive performance with a goal when he intercepted a woeful pass across the Inverness box by Gary Warren but contrived to shoot wide.

Earlier, Bitton had fired off target and Sinclair also went close, but Tierney did find the net with a powerful header off another Forrest delivery.

Brown then got the break of the ball in stoppage time to lash past Fon Williams.

And with the League Cup won in November and a 27-point lead in the league, Celtic remain on course for a domestic treble.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "When we had the ball, I thought we were outstanding. The final third, we were so incisive.

"You see the level of his [Moussa Dembele's] game. He's got a natural instinct to score. He's got a top-class temperament.

"The value of the team is improving all the time with performing well."

Inverness CT manager Richie Foran: "Outclassed, simple as that. Six-nil is a tough one.

"We went and had a go at the start and that's all I could ask from the lads.

"This is one of the best Celtic teams assembled in a good few years. They've got confidence running through their veins. There was no stopping them."