2020-02-12: Celtic 5-0 Hearts, SP

Possession
Home54%
Away46%

Shots
Home22
Away5

Shots on Target
Home12
Away2

Corners
Home10
Away6

Fouls
Home17
Away16

Articles

Celtic 5 – 0 Hearts: Champions pull ten points clear as Hearts remain rooted

Andrew Smith
Email
Published: 22:17
Updated: 23:06 Wednesday 12 February 2020
Share this article
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-5-0-hearts-champions-pull-ten-points-clear-as-hearts-remain-rooted-1-5089802Have your say
For the past couple of weeks, pundits have continually hammered on about how there were sure to be to more twists and turns in this Premiership title race even as Celtic stretched out in front.

As any sort of race effectively ended last night with Neil Lennon’s men establishing a ten-point lead, it turned out they were sort of right.
Goalscorer Olivier Ntcham battles for possession with Hearts' Craig Halkett. Picture: SNS
Goalscorer Olivier Ntcham battles for possession with Hearts' Craig Halkett. Picture: SNS

As Rangers have twisted in the wind these past few weeks – losing at Kilmarnock was the latest failing – Celtic have turned the screw in almighty fashion. In doing so, Lennon’s team are surely in an unassailable position in their pursuit of a ninth straight title.

Goals, lots and lots of goals, have got them there. Their 5-0 thrashing of a Hearts side that fell to pieces as abjectly as teams propping up leagues tend to do, means they have now scored as many this season as they did in the whole of their last league campaign – in 12 fewer games. And four more than they did across the entirety of their 2017-18 championship win.

Celtic are simply unstoppable, and were so even as they produced one of their more uneven performances. Hearts, in spells across the opening period, were effective and competitive.

Ultimately, none of this amounted to a hill of beans, though, as the Scottish champions handed out yet another beating to a Tynecastle team taking root at the bottom of the Premiership.

Meanwhile, Lennon’s men are imperious at its summit. And their eighth straight win since the break – and a 16th victory from their past 17 league games – demonstrated precisely why their advantage over Steven Gerrard’s men is set to be decisive.

They have so many ways to unpick opposition defences, there is an inevitability that they won’t just find one, but many. Daniel Stendel’s side collapsed like a house of cards when Christopher Jullien rose – while no-one in maroon bothered to do so – to head in a corner invitingly swung his way by Leigh Griffiths for Celtic’s second.

It didn’t matter from that point that, in a chess game of a first half, Hearts had moved their pieces around with sufficient fluidity to close down spaces that Celtic hadn’t opened up with their usual alacrity.

In the final analysis, Stendel’s team were powerless to prevent the nine-in-a-row-chasing Parkhead side breaching their defences five times when also spurning a hatful of opportunities.

This Celtic team have such an unquenchable thirst for goals because right now they have any number of personnel desperate to sate such appetites. Had you told Stendel his team would be the first this year to avoid coughing up a goal to either Odsonne Edouard or Griffiths, he might have thought he would be on to something. But Celtic are relentless in their multi-faceted ability to demolish opponents.

Their latest such evisceration was started courtesy of Olivier Ntcham’s third goal in five games, for which hapless Hearts keeper Joel Pereira should be given an assist. Edouard twisted to make space for a shot that shouldn’t have troubled the on-loan Manchester United man. It did because he slapped it straight to Ntcham as if passing it to him. Ntcham fired it back with interest and, despite the Portuguese keeper getting a hand to it, seized his gift.

When Jullien made it 2-0 within seconds of the restart, Hearts became as porous as a colander in the face of a Celtic attacking tsunami. Callum McGregor broke forward down the right to exchanges passes with Greg Taylor before lashing a low drive towards goal that found the net via a deflection in 52 minutes, and, from then, it could have been any score, Lennon’s men having twice had efforts off the woodwork.
James McFadzean has a shot at goal during a match between Raith Rovers and Clyde at Stark's Park in January 1963
27 stunning archive photos of Scottish football grounds in the 1950s and 1960s

The Celtic manager was able to mix up his team and he did so to punishing effect for Hearts, with Ryan Christie claiming his first goal of 2020 within five minutes of his 62nd-minute introduction. He did so with a snapshot that clipped Craig Halkett to loop up over Pereira. The scoring was completed when, in the 79th minute, Hearts gave Jozo Simunovic all the freedom he needed to head in a Christie corner but the misery was not then over for Stendel’s sorry side.

Two minutes from time, substitute Marcel Langer slid in late on Scott Brown. Referee Willie Collum had no hesitation to brandish a red card. It is code red for this Hearts team, with one league win in 14 now. Whatever Stendel is attempting to do, it simply isn’t having the desired results. In contrast, Celtic, now further ahead of their Ibrox rivals than this time last year despite all the froth about possible last-day finishes, are a green machine that no team in the country can live with.

Neil Lennon taking nothing for granted despite ten-point Celtic lead in title race

Andrew Smith
Email
Published: 23:00
Updated: 23:07 Wednesday 12 February 2020
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/neil-lennon-taking-nothing-for-granted-despite-ten-point-celtic-lead-in-title-race-1-5089822
Neil Lennon maintains his Celtic team will “take absolutely nothing for granted” even as Wednesday night seemed pivotal in the club’s quest for a ninth straight title.

A second half blitz of Hearts to secure a 5-0 win, coupled with Rangers’ 2-1 defeat by Kilmarnock, allowed the Scottish champions to extend their lead to 10 points over the Ibrox side who have played a game fewer.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon thanks Olivier Ntcham for his contribution as the midfielder leaves the field. Picture: SNS
Celtic boss Neil Lennon thanks Olivier Ntcham for his contribution as the midfielder leaves the field. Picture: SNS

The contrasting league fortunes of the Glasgow clubs since the winter break – Celtic having won all six of their Premiership fictures as Rangers have lost two and drawn one – refused to lead Lennon to make any grand claims about the state of play on a night that ended with the Celtic fans celebrating with deafening chants of “here we go, ten-in-a-row”.

Asked about his message for a club support who believe another title is in the bag, the Celtic manager picked his words carefully, and made no mention of the burning issue.

“You’re amazing, thank you for your support and we’ll do all we can to keep entertaining you. They’re the best fans in the world as far as I’m concerned,” he said, having earlier reflected on the ten-point gap.

“It gives them a bit of confidence. We have a tricky game on Sunday at Pittodrie. Aberdeen had a great win [against Hamilton on Tuesday] and we’re taking absolutely nothing for granted.”

Asked about the turnaround since losing at home to Rangers in the final game before the winter shutdown – which allowed Rangers to move within a point of their rivals having played a game fewer – Lennon said: “That’s the way football goes. We kept calm and we just do what we do best conscientiously, behind the scenes, with the support network there. You can see the players’ fitness levels are very good. The squad is looking stronger as well.

“They were magnificent [against Hearts] – the desire and hunger to play, scoring goals, their running. Everything you want as a manager from a team I got. It was an emphatic win and an outstanding second-half performance.”

Hearts manager Daniel Stendel claimed his team lacked belief, even as they gave Celtic a few scares in an encouraging opening period that gave way to a desperate capitulation.

“I want to try and give the players the feeling we have a chance,” he said. “Our plan was good but our game wasn’t like our plan. We played like rabbits in the headlights. From the first moment you could see the look. We tried to change our confidence on the pitch with the substitutions from Washington on the pitch then we conceded.

“After this we played a little bit better and we wanted to keep it in the second half but five minutes into the second half the game went against us. It is very difficult for us to keep our confidence and stay together but it’s the one and only way for us in difficult moments. It was a very difficult night tonight but we must stay together and look forward to Saturday.”

BBC

By Martin Dowden

BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

From the section Scottish Premiership

Highlights: Celtic 5-0 Hearts

Celtic took a significant step towards a ninth title in a row after thumping Hearts to move 10 points clear in the Scottish Premiership.

Neil Lennon's side stretched their winning run since the winter break to eight – and 17 in 18 league games – while Rangers lost at Kilmarnock.

Olivier Ntcham opened the scoring, and that lead was doubled seconds after the break by Christopher Jullien's header.

Goals by Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie and Jozo Simunovic added further gloss.

Rangers have played one game fewer but now find themselves further behind than at any other stage this season.

Hearts carved out some good chances themselves, but Fraser Forster denied Jamie Walker on multiple occasions to maintain his clean sheet, and substitute Marcel Langer was shown a late red card.

Daniel Stendel's side remain one point behind Hamilton Academical at the foot of the table, and host the Lanarkshire club on Saturday.

Celtic 'taking nothing for granted'
Reaction & as it happened

Celtic ruthlessly charging to title

In the end, this was an annihilation and the scoreline could have been much higher.

Celtic are ruthlessly charging to the league title and their supporters know it. They were delirious as full-time approached. It isn't over but increasingly looks odds-on.

The breakthrough in this one took a little time. Stendel's approach could be either interpreted as brave or reckless, but seemed to give Celtic the chance to cut the visitors open, with James Forrest handed numerous chances to punish them.

He didn't, but the opener did come when Odsonne Edouard fired a shot at Joel Pereira, which the goalkeeper simply parried to Ntcham rather than divert wide. The midfielder finished calmly to reinforce his recent impact.

You feared the worst for Hearts but they began to create chances with Celtic increasingly sloppy and the formation switch looking effective.

They ought to have been punished though before half-time when Edouard slipped Leigh Griffiths in, but the striker misfired and hit the side netting. It mattered not on what looks like a decisive occasion.
Stat

Things absolutely imploded for Hearts immediately after the break. Julien rose unchallenged at a corner to power a header home, with Pereira stranded on his line.

The French defender is an imposing figure, who is making a positive contribution at both ends of the pitch for the champions. The centre-back they have been crying out for.

Another corner nearly caught Hearts again with both Simunovic then Scott Brown striking the same post.

The third arrived when McGregor drove away from a Hearts midfield that was posted missing. He regained the ball from Greg Taylor and fired home into the corner.

Celtic's strength in depth was cemented when Christie came off the bench and bagged his 19th of the season from a tight angle, before Simunovic added another.

On a night of misery for Hearts, substitute Langer was ordered off after a reckless lunge, with the despair for the Tynecastle side in contrast to the delirium around Celtic Park.

Lennon's side look utterly relentless. The games are ticking down and the goals are flowing ominously. They will take some stopping on this form. The Celtic crowd certainly think so.
Man of the match – Callum McGregor

There are so many Celtic players delivering consistently in this magnificent run.

Edouard is often unplayable and links so well with Griffiths. McGregor is back in the goals, and as is Ntcham. Forrest chips in, and as does Jullien from the back.

The mentality, quality and application is evident across the squad as they chalk up win after win.

You could argue numerous cases but McGregor stood out in this game. His contribution is often overlooked but he is a top operator who offers so much, capped with another goal in what turned into a rout.
'Relentlessness and hunger' – reaction
'Title race could flip at any time' – Celtic boss Lennon

Celtic manager Neil Lennon: "I couldn't have asked for any more from the team. To beat a team as good as Hearts with an emphatic scoreline like that was very pleasing. There was a relentlessness and a hunger about them in the second half.

"It gives us a little bit more of a margin to lean on [after Rangers losing]. It's a long way to go and it could flip at any time. We're not counting our chickens and getting carried away. I'm just delighted with the performances being put in at the moment."