Match Pictures | Matches: 2024 – 2025
Trivia
- KO: 15:00; Saturday, Celtic TV only; League Match 15
- Winds reach 90mph in parts of the UK as Storm Darragh cancels events & ferries and causes power cuts in the UK, so lower crowds today. No Irish buses over.
- Celtic on top on 43pts +40GD after 15games! Aberdeen slip up again 1-1, so on 34pts after 16 games. Celtic already massed what some see as an unassailable league lead in light of the squad strengths. Incredibly Celtic only dropped two points to date!
- Hibs had finally won only their second game last weekend but up to this point still hanging around the relegation zone fighting it out in the bottom two slots with Hearts!
- Reports: Brentford and Brighton considering Jan move for Nicolas Kuhn. Brighton and Southampton tracking Motherwell 18-year-old midfielder Lennon Miller, also interesting Celtic, Liverpool and Newcastle United. Celtic may sign Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan in Jan (doubt it!).
- Reports: Celtic to hand Johnny Kenny chance, impressed on loan to Shamrock Rovers, Rodgers keen to have a young goalscorer to provide back-up.
- Ex-Celt Liam Henderson, who provided two assists and scored in a penalty shootout as Empoli overcame Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia this week, monitored by a number of clubs as his contract runs down.
- Dinamo Zagreb could be without seven key players when they face Celtic in the Champions League next week. Dinamo have won only 1 of their last 6 matches. (1 win, 1 loss, 4 draws).
- Turner Prize 2024: Glaswegian Jasleen Kaur who put a Ford Escort in the Tate lands the art world’s biggest prize! Congratulations.
- Celtic responded to SPFL charge as make stance clear wrt Pyro etc.
Summary
Joebloggscity of @TheCelticWiki:
Forget the scoreline as that makes the result seem like it was a cakewalk. Hibs had a guilt edged chance to take the lead in the opening minutes with Schemichel making a class save. Celtic soon scored, and from there on in it was a case of good active play by Celtic but also many good attacks from Hibs who kept getting thwarted by Schmeichel (stealing all the headlines & praise for the day).
Good for Engels to score his first goal from open play but still he seems to be struggling to settle in and make his mark. Idah had a fine game but bad luck meant his chances kept being saved until he finally grabbed one in the second half.
Kyogo came late on, and played his part to create the final goal with a lovely run, 1-2 and then clip over the advancing goalkeeper to seal the win.
It was actually a tough match with Hibs clearly showing they’re better than their league position at the foot of the table where they returned to as Hearts won on the same day, Hibs currently are playing leapfrog with Hearts for the two bottom spots. Hibs played well and provided a tough challenge and so other sides better watch out.
Aberdeen slip up means that if Sevco win their games in hand they will then go second in the table. Aberdeen have collapsed badly lately. For Celtic, it’s clear that the league challenge from Aberdeen & Sevco really is over. The strength in depth of the Celtic squad is at present just too much for the other sides to overcome, without any intention of arrogance here (just honest opinion).
Next weekend is the league cup final v Sevco.
E-Tims @ETimsNet · 2h FT #Celtic 3 Hibs 0 Anything but an easy win. Hibs caused us more probs than any other team in League this season. We were good going fwd but poor as a group defensively. Kasper POTM which says it all! Big bravo to the team with win after tough midweek match
Teams
Celtic:
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
01 K. Schmeichel
03 G. Taylor
05 L. Scales
06 A. Trusty
02 A. Johnston
27 A. Engels 41′, Yellow Card at 41mins, subbed for R. Hatate at 73mins
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain
14 L. McCowan, subbed for Paulo Bernardo at 73mins
38 D. Maeda, subbed for Yang Hyun-Jun at 67mins
09 A. Idah, subbed for K. Furuhashi at 67mins
10 N. Kühn, subbed for J. Forrest at 46mins
Subs:
20 C. Carter-Vickers
49 J. Forrest
08 K. Furuhashi
28 Paulo Bernardo
41 R. Hatate
56 A. Ralston
12 V. Sinisalo
11 Álex Valle
13 Yang Hyun-Jun
Goals:
A. Engels (6′)
J. Newell (54′ og)
K. Furuhashi (84′)
Assists:
A. Johnston (6′), J. Forrest (84′)
Hibernian
Manager: David Gray
13 J. Smith
15 J. Iredale
33 R. Bushiri
05 W. O’Hora 84′, Yellow Card at 84mins
21 J. Obita
02 L. Miller, subbed for C. Cadden at 83mins
19 N. Cadden, subbed for M. Boyle at 73mins
11 J. Newell (c), Captain, subbed for D. Gayle at 82mins
26 N. Triantis
07 É. Youan, subbed for J. Hoilett at 82mins
99 M. Kuharevich, subbed for J. Campbell at 27mins
Subs:
10 M. Boyle
01 J. Bursik
12 C. Cadden
32 J. Campbell 81′, Yellow Card at 81mins
08 J. Doyle-Hayes
34 D. Gayle
23 J. Hoilett
06 D. Levitt
22 N. Moriah-Welsh
Referee Chris Graham
Video Assistant Referee Gavin Duncan
Assistant Referee 1 Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee 2 Steven Traynor
Fourth Official Stewart Luke
Assistant VAR Official Alan Mulvanny
Att: [….]
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
Overall Possession
Celtic 75.4% Hibernian 24.6%
Shots
Celtic 21 Hibernian 14
Shots on target
Celtic 11 Hibernian 9
Shots off target
Celtic 5 Hibernian 4
Blocked shots
Celtic 5 Hibernian 1
Total touches in the box
Celtic 44 Hibernian 32
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 9 Hibernian 8
Fouls
Celtic 8 Hibernian 7
Corners
Celtic 14 Hibernian 7
Articles
Three goals and three points for the champions at Paradise
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2024/december/07/three-goals-and-three-points-for-the-champions-at-paradise/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
Share
07 Dec 2024, 5:13 pm
Scottish Premiership
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Celtic Park
CELTIC…3
(Engels 6, Newell OG 54, Kyogo 84)
HIBERNIAN…0
On a cold afternoon at Paradise, the Hoops warmed the hearts of the Celtic faithful with a good performance and a 3-0 win over Hibernian thanks to goals from Arne Engels, Kyogo and an own goal from Joe Newell.
Within the first minute, Hibernian had a massive chance to take the lead. A long ball was sent forward from inside the visitors’ half, and Mykola Kukharevych found himself charging through on goal with only Kasper Schmeichel to beat.
Schmeichel produced an excellent save with his legs before holding on to a long-range effort from Nicky Cadden a moment later.
Despite their positive start, Hibs were undone in the sixth minute by a wonderful and instinctive piece of link-up play between Nicolas Kuhn and Alistair Johnston, who have developed a strong partnership on the right-hand side.
Johnston’s ball across the face of goal was met by Arne Engels, with the Belgian scoring from close range to make it 1-0 to the Celts.
In the eighth minute, Luke McCowan almost doubled the lead, but his shot from inside the box after some great build-up play from Daizen Maeda smashed off the crossbar.
With 17 minutes played, the visitors found themselves with another big chance after Lewis Miller drove down the right wing and sent the ball in to the box to find Joe Newell, but his shot from 12 yards out rose high over the bar.
Kasper Schmeichel was called in to action again just after the 20-minute mark when he had to pull off a brave block from another Kukharevych shot.
In added time at the end of the first half, Adam Idah had a big chance to make it 2-0 when he spun with the ball at his feet in the box and fired a shot towards goal, but Jordan Smith was able to make the save.
Almost immediately after that opportunity, another long ball was sent forward from the Hibernian half, prompting a race between Alistair Johnston and Elie Youan, which the Celtic right-back duly won, preventing any threat to Kasper Schmeichel’s goal.
75%
Possession
25%
21
Shots
14
11
Shots On Target
9
14
Corners
7
8
Fouls
7
1
0
Cards
2
0
Brendan Rodgers made one change at half time, swapping Nicolas Kuhn for James Forrest and early in the second half, the Celts found themselves with two chances to double the lead.
The first fell to Arne Engels, but his effort from close range saw Jordan Smith make the save. And moments later, Smith denied Liam Scales from the edge of the six-yard box.
However it wasn’t long before it was 2-0 to the champions, with the goal coming in the 54th minute.
Luke McCowan’s corner was met by Adam Idah who flicked the ball on towards goal, and HIbs captain, Joe Newell inadvertently got a touch on the ball and directed it in to his own net to make it 2-0.
Kasper Schmeichel had one of his best performances of the season so far today at Celtic Park, earning him a well-deserved Man of the Match award, and in the 62nd minute he came up with two massive stops in quick succession to prevent Youan and then Cadden from dragging Hibernian back in to the match.
With just under 15 minutes left to play, Yang, who had been brought on for Maeda, wove his way in to the box and had a shot on goal which went just wide of the near post.
Trusty then went close with a header from a Bernardo corner which the Hibs keeper tipped over the bar.
Celtic’s third goal of the afternoon, which came in the 84th minute, was a thing of beauty. James Forrest threaded the ball through to Kyogo, who quickly adjusted his feet to give himself a chance to finish.
He then expertly lifted the ball over Jordan Smith and in to the net to put the game to bed and secure another three points.
The 3-0 victory, combined with results elsewhere, gives the Celts a nine-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
Next up for Brendan Rodgers and his side is a trip to Croatia where they will face Dinamo Zagreb in the UCL on Wednesday night.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Alistair Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor, McCowan (Paulo Bernardo 73′), McGregor, Engels (Hatate 73′), Kühn (Forrest 45′), Idah (Kyogo 67′), Maeda (Hyunjun Yang 67′)
Subs: Kyogo, Valle, Sinisalo, Hyunjun Yang, Carter-Vickers, Paulo Bernardo, Hatate, Forrest, Ralston
Hibernian: Smith, Miller (Chris Cadden 83′), O’Hora, Bushiri, Iredale, Obita, Youan (Hoilett 82′), Triantis, Newell (Gayle 82′), Nicky Cadden (Boyle 73′), Kuharevich (Campbell 27′)
Subs: Bursik, Levitt, Doyle-Hayes, Boyle, Chris Cadden, Moriah-Welsh, Hoilett, Campbell, Gayle
Celtic star gets unsung hero treatment as Brendan Rodgers laments ‘not at level’ area and gives Nicolas Kuhn update
Mark Atkinson
By Mark Atkinson
Sports Editor
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/brendan-rodgers-singles-out-celtic-unsung-hero-for-being-best-at-one-thing-but-key-area-not-level-i-expect-4900099
Comments
Published 7th Dec 2024, 18:12 GMT
Manager delighted to end week on high ahead of two massive tests
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admitted that his team let their standards slip defensively despite increasing their lead at the top of the Premiership to nine points with a 3-0 home win over Hibs.
The defending champions prevailed thanks to strikes from Arne Engels and Kyogo Furuhashi as well as an own goal from Joe Newell, but they were far from their secure best against Hibs, who fashioned nine shots on target. Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was named man of the match for a number of key saves, most notably in one-on-one situations from Mykola Kuharevich.
Rodgers made five changes to his starting XI on the back of Wednesday’s 1-0 win at Aberdeen, including resting key centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers, ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match away at Dinamo Zagreb and then next Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers. And while it paid off with the victory, Rodgers conceded that his team were not as robust as usual.
Brendan Rodgers gives the thumbs-up from the touchline during Celtic’s 3-0 win over Hibs.
Brendan Rodgers gives the thumbs-up from the touchline during Celtic’s 3-0 win over Hibs. | SNS Group
“Obviously, I’m delighted with the win,” said Rodgers, whose nearest challengers Aberdeen drew 1-1 at home to St Johnstone. “This was the third game this week, so on the back of a game in midweek, tough game away from home, to come here and get the victory and keep a clean sheet, great. Our attacking play was very good. We scored good goals, created chances. Defensively, for our standard – not the level that I would expect and want.
“But sometimes that’s part of when you do make the changes and so that’s on me. But that defensive side, which is our start point, pressing, counter-pressing, it wasn’t so good in the first half. We controlled the game in the second half – upped it to a level.
“If you watch us through the season, you see we haven’t been that. It’s not been the case. The main principle for me always to begin with is pressing. And that’s why we’ve only considered the low number of goals that we have. But today, if you’re just that little bit late to the press, you’re not quite there or in the duel, you lose out, then teams can hurt you. So we’ve seen that more in the first half than the second.”
Rodgers made a tactical change at the interval with his team 1-0, bringing on James Forrest for Nicolas Kuhn. As a result, Celtic were far more secure down the right flank and the experienced winger chipped in with an assist for Furuhashi, who also came off the bench. The manager said that Forrest is one at the best in keeping possession in tight situations.
“We were losing too many balls on the right side. So in order to push them back, you’ve got to retain the ball. James Forrest is one of the best players, probably the best player I’ve ever worked with in my career at retaining the ball on the side. People will look at it now and go, it’s because of maturity. No, no, I was here in 2016. The best player at receiving the ball on the side of the pitch when it’s tight, left side or right side, to keep the ball. And then that allows you to sustain the attack. Too often we gave it away in the first half.”
James Forrest was one of the subs who made a big impact.
James Forrest was one of the subs who made a big impact. | SNS Group
Celtic now head to Croatia for their match against Dinamo Zagreb before a trip to Hampden for their Rangers showdown. Rodgers says he is “excited” about what could unfold, with the potential for reaching at least the play-off round in Europe’s premier competition and landing the first piece of domestic silverware on offer.
“Now we recover,” added Rodgers. “And the opportunity is fantastic for us. We know what we’re going to achieve. So, I’m really excited. We’ll be able to recover players today. So, we’ll have a freshness to our game also. And we know that at this level we can be really competitive. I’m really looking forward to it.”
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cdeknr06d3yt?page=12#Report
George O’Neill
BBC Sport Scotland
Brendan Rodgers praised Celtic’s attacking play as they overcame a wasteful Hibernian to move nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, but criticised his team’s performance out of possession.
Arne Engel’s first half tap-in, before Joe Newell’s own goal and Kyogo’s delightful dink after the break, made it seven successive league wins for the champions.
However, the visitors spurned several clear-cut chances in a first half where they found some joy against Celtic’s high defensive line.
“Some of our attacking play was excellent,” Rodgers said.
“Our downside for today was our pressing – it was nowhere near what I would want and expect it to be – and that gave them chances.”
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Mykola Kuharevich was twice denied one-on-one with Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, and Newell blazed over the bar when unmarked inside the box.
Celtic made their chances count at the other end though, as Engels swept home Alistair Johnston’s cross and Adam Idah’s flick-on was diverted into his own goal by Newell.
Hibs’ profligacy continued after they fell two behind, with Schmeichel denying Elie Youan and Nicky Cadden in quick succession before Lewis Miller headed straight at the Denmark international.
Liam Scales and Auston Trusty both had efforts saved in a frenetic second half, before Kyogo made it three with a glorious finish.
The Japanese striker effortlessly took the ball in his stride after the hosts’ high press pinched possession, and he calmly lofted the ball over Jordan Smith.
Aberdeen’s 1-1 draw against St Johnstone means Celtic have strengthened their hold on the title race, with third-placed Rangers in action at Ross County on Sunday.
This is now Hibernian’s worst start to a top-flight season since the 1979-80 season, when they finished bottom of the league and were relegated.
Rodgers’ rotation pays dividends again
Rodgers spoke earlier this week about the importance of using his whole squad in order to keep players fresh amid a packed fixture schedule.
The Celtic manager did so again here, bringing record-signing Engels and Luke McCowan into midfield, and dropping Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyogo to the bench for a breather.
It wasn’t the smoothest of starts for Celtic, with Hibs regularly getting in behind Scales and Trusty.
However, Schmeichel showed his worth once again – making nine saves in total – to keep the hosts’ clean sheet intact, before Engels marked his return with a goal.
Another hallmark of this Celtic side is their intensity out of possession, and their third goal of the game was a perfect example.
James Forrest nipped in to win the ball back in a dangerous area, before feeding Kyogo, who showed why he is so feared by defenders up and down the country with a finish of real class.
Attentions now turn to Europe and a Champions League trip to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday, where Rodgers will likely shuffle his pack once more.
Hibs leave shooting boots at home
A chaotic draw against high-flying Aberdeen and a comprehensive win over Motherwell in Hibs’ last two outings showed signs of improvement.
The momentum from those displays carried into their trip to Glasgow and they should really have hit the front inside two minutes.
Kuharevich had the entirety of Celtic’s half to himself but his tame shot was saved by Schmeichel’s left leg.
They continued to create opportunities that rarely come around against Celtic, but Newell leant back and skied his shot with the goal at his mercy and Kuharevich’s heavy first touch saw another gilt-edged chance go begging.
It felt as though Hibs could play all afternoon and not score as they continued to waste chances after the break – Elie Youan and Lewis Miller the guilty parties.
David Gray’s side return to the bottom of the Premiership, but if they continue to create chances of the quality they did here – and Kieron Bowie returns to the side in the new year – the goals will surely come.
What they said
Media caption,
‘I wouldn’t be telling you!’ – Rodgers remains tight-lipped on Schmeichel’s contract
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: “The win was very good on the back of the midweek game against Aberdeen.
“Thankfully, I have a top international goalkeeper, who, when we needed him, made saves.
“I can trigger [the option for another year in Schmeichel’s contract] at any time; I wouldn’t tell you, I would tell him first.”
Hibernian head coach David Gray: “We’ll never accept losing, but everything I asked the players to do was there for large periods.
“When you get big opportunities you need to take them. We had three or four clear-cut chances – I can’t remember a Hibs side coming here and having so many.
“If I didn’t see the attacking intent we’ve got, I’d be much more concerned.”