| Match Pictures | Matches: 2019 – 2020 | 2019-20 Pictures |
Trivia
- Back after the unwanted internationals! Scotland defeated Cyprus but regardless have to go thru play-offs to make Euros. Christie scored a cracking goal v Cyprus.
- Celtic top of the league on goal difference to Sevco
- First Celtic victory over Livingston in 4 attempts.
- Leigh Griffiths made his return for Celtic
- New Bhoy Lee O’Connor called up & made debut for Ireland in friendly encounter v New Zealand, 3-1 win.
- Scott Brown has hinted he would be open to making a dramatic return to the Scotland squad for the Euro 2020 play-offs in March.
- Scotland will face Israel in their one-off Euro 2020 play-off semi-final at Hampden on 26 March. And if Steve Clarke's side progress, they will be away to Norway or Serbia for a finals place five days later. Northern Ireland will host Republic of Ireland in Belfast if both sides win their respective semi-finals at Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovakia.
- Celtic have been fined €15,000 by UEFA for illicit banners and chants during their match against Lazio at Celtic Park last month. Lazio have been fined €10,000 for illicit chanting. 19th time that Celtic have incurred the wrath of European football's governing body since 2007, and their third charge of the 2019/20 campaign.
- Celtic will have to cough up ten million pounds if they want to sign on-loan Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi on a permanent deal.
- Celtic are looking to extend the loan deal of Daniel Arzani, according to reports in Australia.
- Hibs appoint Jack Ross as new manager
- Queen's Park have voted to become professional in a momentous decision. It puts an end to their 152-year amateur status. It is thought the decision will help them continue to compete in the SPFL.
- Abd Elhamed will miss six weeks of action due to a groin strain.
- The Times report that Rangers are set to have £50m wiped from the tax bill which regarded the club's use of employee benefit trust (EBTs). HMRC took to Twitter to clarify the story, they tweeted that they had not miscalculated anything. "HMRC won against Rangers’ tax avoidance in the Supreme Court, and did not miscalculate anything".
- Former Scotland rugby captain and Edinburgh coach Tom Smith has been diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer. We wish him all the the strength in the world. Great response from him: "The least you can do is fight, so let's fight"
Review
(MLE of KDS)
An excellent performance that, again, didn't look like it was a full top gear showing from us. 4-0 without having to really push ourselves is the ideal situation and leaves a lot of ceiling room above us for Europe and the domestic games that require it. The highlight was the inevitability that sat apparent today even although Livingstone looked drilled and compact for the 1st half. Edouard wasn't his usual self but still managed to get a goal as well as link attacking play really well and I think if he'd been a bit luckier and, dare I say, more on it we'd have been winning that 6-0.
Frimpong is a delight and will be in the Dutch squad before too long. I hope we get a good 4/5 years out of him before we sell him directly to Barcelona instead of dealing with a nonsense intermediary rabble like Arsenal or Man U. Broony was everywhere and today was another of those occasions where his in-game intelligence and reading of the game allows him to be 2 or 3 steps ahead of every other player on the park. He's playing like a 28 year old as a result.
We've scored 81 goals so far this season already and haven't conceded a goal in the league since the last Livingstone game. This team are on fire and i'm hugely confident for the next 5 weeks.
Teams
Celtic
- 67Forster
- 30Frimpong
- 35Ajer
- 2Jullien
- 15Hayes
· Substituted forTaylorat 50'minutes
· 8BrownBooked at 90mins
· 42McGregor
· 49Forrest
· 18Rogic
· Substituted forNtchamat 76'minutes
· 17Christie
· 22Edouard
- Substituted forGriffithsat 68'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Gordon
- 3Taylor
- 6Bitton
- 9Griffiths
- 13Bauer
- 16Morgan
- 21Ntcham
Goals
- Edouard (19' minutes),
- Brown (57' minutes),
- Forrest (64' minutes, 90'+1 minutes)
Livingston
- 30Sarkic
- 29Taylor-Sinclair
- 27Guthrie
- 5Lamie
- 21McMillan
· Substituted forJacobsat 68'minutes
· 6Bartley
· 16Crawford
· Substituted forTiffoneyat 76'minutesBooked at 80mins
· 11Lawless
- Substituted forOdoffinat 69'minutes
- 8Pittman
- 33Lawson
- 9DykesBooked at 44mins
Substitutes
- 1Stewart
- 7Jacobs
- 14Odoffin
- 17Robinson
- 19Erskine
- 20Souda
- 22Tiffoney
Referee:
Andrew Dallas
Attendance:
58,247
Articles
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Stats
Home Team
Celtic
Away Team
Livingston
Possession
Home73%
Away27%
Shots
Home24
Away2
Shots on Target
Home12
Away1
Corners
Home9
Away1
Fouls
Home1
Away9
Articles
Celtic 4 – 0 Livingston: Jack in the box Jeremie Frimpong steals the show
Andrew Smith
Email
Published: 17:21
Updated: 23:23 Saturday 23 November 2019
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-4-0-livingston-jack-in-the-box-jeremie-frimpong-steals-the-show-1-5051278
A first nine-in-a-row this season by Celtic might not serve as any portent concerning their grand ambition for the campaign. Yet, in racking up their ninth straight win across all competitions to maintain their grip on pole position in the Premiership table, their play was once again dolled up to the nines in spells.
Never more so than in the contributions from jack-in-a-box performer Jeremie Frimpong. It might seem bizarre to alight on the contribution of a right-back on an afternoon that brought an opener from Odsonne Edouard, a double from the redoubtable James Forrest, another goal from Scott Brown and a late, warmly-greeted cameo from a sprightly Leigh Griffiths.
James Forrest celebrates making it 3-0 to the hosts. Picture: SNS
James Forrest celebrates making it 3-0 to the hosts. Picture: SNS
But the Dutch 18-year-old is the sort who has the capacity to captivate like a double-jointed acrobat. Maurading down the right with a maziness that had the crowd whooping with delight.
“Frimpong is amazing,” said the Celtic manager of a player who cost an initial £350,000 from Manchester City in a deal that could rise to £1 million. “That performance, in isolation, is one of the best I’ve seen from a right-back at Celtic. It had everything, pace, power, assists, shots on goal, recovery runs, defending. For a kid at 18 to come into a daunting environment like this – he’s handled it brilliantly. He’s made us a better team, there’s no question about that.”
Asked who deserved the credit for unearthing the player, Lennon grinned: “Well, I don’t want to brag about it… No, myself and Damien [Duff, Celtic’s first-team coach] watched him in a development game here and then John [Kennedy, assistant manager] had a look. We thought he was a very talented boy. Nick [Hammond, head of recruitment] did a bit of groundwork on him and we were delighted to get it done. We thought he’d be a good emerging talent, a development player. But meteorically, he’s come through. It’s all down to him, no-one else. It was a team effort getting him, but his performances are down to him.
“People think he struggles with height but he deals with it with great upper body strength. He can’t have any ligaments in his legs because when he goes down he just jumps straight back up again. He’s amazing with the ball and a real find. He’s contributing immensely right now and it’s his place to lose. When you look at the games where Jeremie and Tom Rogic has played, the volume of goals has been unbelievable.”
The volume could have been doubled easily yesterday. Livingston dug in, but found themselves in a hole when Ricki Lamie made a hash of cutting out a curling crossfield pass and Edouard inflicted full punishment in sauntering through on goal and chipping over Matija Sarkic for a 19th minute opener.
Gary Holt’s men benefitted from Celtic passing up some gilt-edged first-half opportunities, but had their goose cooked 57 minutes in when Brown hit an effort that was going wide but diverted off the knee of Jon Guthrie to wrong-foot Sarkic. The visiting keeper was then let down by his defenders seven minutes later when he blocked a crashing driven Frimpong effort with his face only for the ball to loop way up in the air and Forrest to show technique – and expose defensive doziness – to meet it on the volley and put it away as would a tennis player with an overhead smash. The winger took his tally for the season to 13 in added time when, played in by Ryan Christie, he shaped to hit the ball to his left before jabbing it into opposite corner.
It was Frimpong who stole the show, though. And the youngster, who said he had been given early advice by Celtic coach and all-time great right back Danny McGrain, paid tribute to his club captain for his ability to make such a seamless transition to life at Celtic.
“When I get on the pitch I just do what I do best – just go and attack and help the team out as much as I can too defensively,” said the player, whose conversion from winger to full-back at 15 came, he said, because “I couldn’t finish”.
Frimpong continued: “I am just going to keep working harder and harder and hopefully the manager will keep putting me in. When you want to play at the top you can’t be shy, you just have to go and play. I have been ready for this all my life so it is good. Everyone has been helping me but Scott Brown in particular has been helping me a lot. He says just do what you do because no-one can live with you, just go and show the fans what you can do.”
No team seems capable of living with Celtic at the minute, never mind Frimpong.
BBC
By Andrew Southwick
BBC Scotland
From the section Scottish Premiership
Celtic captain Scott Brown celebrates his goal against Livingston
Celtic captain Scott Brown was on target in Celtic's victory
Leigh Griffiths made his return for Celtic as they beat Livingston for the first time in four attempts to move clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The Scotland striker played the final 22 minutes, three months on from his last first-team appearance.
Odsonne Edouard, Scott Brown and two from James Forrest moved Celtic three points ahead of second-placed Rangers, who play Hamilton on Sunday.
Livi have not won in six games.
And Gary Holt's side, who inflicted Celtic's only league defeat of the season last month, have lost their last three.
In contrast, since that 2-0 defeat at the Tony Macaroni Arena, Celtic have responded with six league wins from six by an aggregate score of 18-0.
Contrasting fortunes
Since Livingston's win over Celtic in October, the fortunes of both clubs could not be more different.
Celtic have been relentless. Wins at home and away over Lazio, six goals past Ross County, five against Hibernian at Hampden, four up at Pittodrie against Aberdeen.
But for Gary Holt's Livingston side, they have played six, lost four, drawn two.
For 45 minutes they defended well. Celtic were inventive, sharp, and played with the confidence that comes from the sort of run they are on, but Livi repelled them time and again. But one slip gave Celtic their breakthrough.
Ricki Lamie should have cut out a pass through the Livi defence. Instead he was left in Edouard's wake as the Frenchman strolled into the box and chipped the ball over Matija Sarkic.
Home captain Brown doubled the lead when he was given too much room on the edge of the box and his shot deflected off a Livi defender and in.
The game had an inevitability about it after that. When Celtic are at home and motoring, with plenty of time left on the clock, they tend to keep on coming at the visitors.
The impressive Jeremie Frimpong scampered clear down the right side and rocketed a shot at Sarkic. It was saved, but it spun towards Forrest who volleyed it inside the near post.
Griffiths entered the fray after three months on the sidelines. He had three real opportunities, no better than when he had the goal at his mercy when he met a low cross on his own, but he somehow nudged it wide of the post.
Forrest skipped through to score his fourth after Ryan Christie pick-pocketed the Livi midfield and sent him clear.
That moved Celtic clear of Steven Gerrard's Rangers, who will attempt to close the three-point gap away to Hamilton on Sunday.
BBC Scotland's John Barnes at Celtic Park
Frimpong is quickly becoming a fan favourite at Celtic Park. The entertaining full-back, who plays more like a right winger, caught the eye once more with a thrilling performance.
He was aided by Christie who started wide right, drifting inside and creating the space for Frimpong to operate in an advanced area where he became a supply merchant for team-mates in central areas.
Brown had another commanding performance in midfield and topped it off with a goal, but the 18-year-old Frimpong was the stand out.
Celtic 'world class' – post-match reaction
Celtic manager Neil Lennon: "I'm thrilled with that [performance] today and it was a lot better than I could've expected.
"It's a really comprehensive win, off the back of a two-week break. I can't ask any more of the players: they look fit, powerful and playing with real intent."
Livingston head coach Gary Holt: "Celtic are a world class team, they really are, and they've got a lot of pace and movement. But we nullified them at times. The goals are horrible. There's not one you can say is a great bit of play.
"It's wee individual mistakes we need to look at and we need to eradicate."
Line-ups
Match Stats