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Trivia
- Hearts are league leaders but Celtic now in touch with them after this victory and will go top if Celtic can win game in hand. Sevco won their game.
- Celtic without Brown and Ntcham.
- Hearts without their main man Naismith out injured.
- Edouard grabbed a great double.
- Those two tackles in the second half on Morgan and Benkovic can't pass without comment. The one on Morgan is a straight red all day long. Disgraceful. Pub team tactics from Levein.
- One Neil Lennon is ringing around Celtic Park after he was attached at the Hibs-Hearts derby a few days back. He has gone public in his statement denouncing the racism against him.
- Celtic have scored 23 goals in the last 5 domestic games..but…we’ve actually done enough to merit scoring in excess of 30 goals.
- Celtic are pretty solid at the back and are aggressive (touch tight, pressing & competing) all over the pitch. When we get the ball it’s moved at pace and the movement from ALL of the players is something to behold when you are sitting high up in the stands. This is special fitba
- Celtic defeated Hearts 3-0 in Murrayfield in the League Cup semi-final the Sunday before this game.
- Debut spot on the bench for McInroy.
- Debut goal for Benkovic
- Brendan Rodgers hasn’t given up hope of Dedryck Boyata penning a new deal with the Scottish champions.
- Odsonne Edouard secures place on final shortlist for prestigious 2018 European Golden Boy award The
- Hoops hitman is up against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.
- Arzani & Kouassi both have cruciate injuries according to Rodgers; Kouassi ruled out for rest of the season. Arzani to have further scans.
- Scottish Premiership broke the one million fan barrier for the season this afternoon in record time, we're currently averaging 96,254 fans per week
- Craig Levein took full responsibility for Hearts’ 5-0 drubbing at Celtic Park, branding himself an “idiot” and an “ass” for the tactics he adopted. The Hearts manager was unsparingly self-critical as he reflected on the defeat which cuts his team’s lead at the top to one point, having played a game more than second-placed Celtic. “The manager’s an idiot,” said Levein. “I thought because of all the high-profile games we’ve played recently that our energy levels were starting to wane, so I made a decision to sit in and hit Celtic on the counter-attack but, God, I got that one wrong, eh? We will just consign this one to the dustbin. I am an ass for playing this way today.”
Review![[Untitled]](https://wikifoundryimages.s3.amazonaws.com/d751b4c3d40ae3d9471f9ce9f9665be5 "[Untitled]")
The tempo and pace is much better than earlier in the season, team seems to have a lot more energy.
The team is pressing a bit more than earlier in the season.
First time I have seen McGregor in the new role, looks superb, playing the ball more quickly and accuracy of passing. Really suits him, the only thing he would need to work on would be positional sense when we don't have the ball and the opposition are starting to break. Shame he did not score wit the run in the second half.
Had a double take at the first goal from Eddy, seemed to come out of nowhere, superb strike.
Brendan should sit them down and remind them that we have taken eight off of these mutants in a week.
On a patch of grass roughly the same size, give or take a yard or two.
Without our captain.
We are good enough under any circumstances to give these troglodytes a thorough scudding.
Half an inch of grass isn't enough to make up the clear and apparent distance between us.
No matter what Levein may think or try.
I think we now have them owned.
Teams
Celtic
1Gordon
23Lustig Substituted forAjerat 58'minutes
32Benkovic
20Boyata
63Tierney
42McGregor
17Christie
49Forrest
18Rogic
11Sinclair Substituted forMorganat 80'minutes
22Edouard Substituted forJohnstonat 72'minutes
Substitutes
4Hendry
15Hayes
16Morgan
29Bain
35Ajer
55McInroy
73Johnston
- Edouard (18' minutes, 39' minutes),
- Benkovic (26' minutes),
- Forrest (65' minutes),
- Christie (89' minutes pen)
Hearts
1Zlamal
2SmithBooked at 90mins
28Dikamona
3Dunne
11Mitchell Substituted forGaruccioat 45'minutes
5HaringBooked at 87mins
9ClareBooked at 51mins Substituted forMorrisonat 73'minutes
10Sutchuin-Djoum
20Cochrane
23Mulraney Substituted forWightonat 81'minutes
18MacLean
Substitutes
7Bozanic
8Lee
13Doyle
15Wighton
16Hughes
17Garuccio
38Morrison
Referee: John Beaton
Attendance: 58,831
Articles
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Stats
Possession
Home63%
Away37%
Shots
Home17
Away3
Shots on Target
Home10
Away1
Corners
Home6
Away2
Fouls
Home11
Away14
Articles
Celtic 5 – 0 Hearts: Brendan Rodgers’ men move within point of the top
Stephen Halliday
Published: 17:01 Saturday 03 November 2018
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/celtic-5-0-hearts-brendan-rodgers-men-move-within-point-of-the-top-1-4824114
What Celtic and their supporters regard as natural order is close to being restored. The Scottish champions swept Hearts aside as they racked up a fifth consecutive Premiership victory and closed to within a point of Craig Levein’s early season pacesetters at the top of the table.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have well and truly left the uncertainty of the early weeks of this campaign behind them. They have scored 21 goals in those five league wins, hitting a vein of form which suggests they are now firmly on the march towards an eighth successive title triumph.
Odsonne Edouard led the charge for Celtic, the French striker scoring twice to take his tally for the season to 11 – seven of them in his last seven appearances. Filip Benkovic, James Forrest and Ryan Christie were also on target against a Hearts side unable to offer any meaningful resistance.
It was a fluent and dominant Celtic performance from start to finish. Rodgers unsurprisingly fielded an unchanged line-up from the 5-0 midweek rout of Dundee and his players simply carried on where they had left off at Dens Park.
Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal was forced into his first save of the afternoon after just four minutes, getting down to keep out Christie’s low shot, setting the tone for a persistent flow of attacking intent towards the visitors’ goal.
Christie, currently seizing his opportunity to nail down a regular place in the Celtic side, threatened again when he got on the end of Kieran Tierney’s cross to force another save from Zlamal, then saw another decent effort from 20 yards deflected narrowly wide.
Levein had made four changes to his side after Wednesday’s goalless Edinburgh derby – Demetri Mitchell, Harry Cochrane, Jake Mulraney and Steven MacLean coming into the starting line-up at the expense of Ben Garuccio, Olly Lee, Oliver Bozanic and Callumn Morrison.
But what was clearly intended to be a policy of containment from Hearts was never likely to succeed. The breakthrough arrived in the 18th minute with a sumptuous strike from Edouard. Receiving the ball from Scott Sinclair, he stepped neatly away from Peter Haring and unleashed a right foot shot from the edge of the penalty area which beat Zlamal via the underside of the crossbar.
Celtic were relentless and Zlamal made another smart save three minutes later when he dived to his right to divert a Tierney shot wide.
The Czech ‘keeper was left helpless again, however, when Celtic doubled their lead in the 26th minute. It was a sweet moment for Benkovic as the on-loan Leicester City defender claimed his first goal for Celtic. The big Croatian easily outjumped Jimmy Dunne to power home a close range header from Callum McGregor’s corner.
Hearts were under siege and it was through luck than judgement that Michael Smith was able to block Edouard’s header from a Mikael Lustig cross. The striker’s second goal of the afternoon was merely delayed as he made it 3-0 six minutes before the interval.
When Tierney drilled over a low cross from the left, Edouard was quickest to react as he got in ahead of Dunne and forced a close range shot beyond Zlamal.
With Zlamal then forced to make a good stop to keep out a stinging shot from Tom Rogic, the half-time whistle came as a relief to the beleaguered Hearts players.
Daniel Candeias celebrates his opening goal. Picture: SNS
St Mirren 0 – 2 Rangers: Late goals break Buddies’ resolve
With Garuccio replacing Mitchell at the start of the second half, Levein’s looked more robust and competitive for a spell. That may also have been a consequence of Celtic briefly allowing the tempo of their play to drop.
Craig Gordon and Dedryck Boyata seemed to allow boredom to get the better of them with a couple of moments of poor communication between the Celtic ‘keeper and central defender which gave Hearts the sniff of pulling a goal back. Gordon had to sprint off his line to prevent MacLean taking advantage of one of the bouts of slackness.
Celtic were soon back in the ascendancy and operating on full power again when they scored their fourth goal in the 65th minute. Edouard was the provider this time, display poise and fine footwork to slip a pass to Forrest who swept a firm right foot shot beyond Zlamal’s right hand into the corner of the net.
Garuccio almost snatched a moment of consolation for Hearts when his shot smacked back off Gordon’s left hand post but it was Celtic who had the last word, Christie scoring for the third game in a row when he confidently converted an 89th minute penalty after Forrest was felled by substitute Craig Wighton.
By Jonathan Sutherland
BBC Scotland at Celtic Park
From the section Scottish Premiership
Celtic narrowed the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to just one point as they blew away leaders Hearts at Celtic Park.
For the second time in six days, Brendan Rodgers' side outclassed their Edinburgh opposition to record a seventh straight domestic win.
Striker Odsonne Edouard netted either side of a Filip Benkovic header, all before half-time.
James Forrest then rifled in a fourth, with Ryan Christie adding a fifth.
Celtic, having scored just seven goals in their opening seven league games, have now scored 20 in their last four and are just one behind Hearts with a game in hand.
Reaction and Celtic's win as it happened
Hearts' title credentials dented
Manager Craig Levein said before the match that this was the sort of fixture Hearts had to win if they were to be considered title contenders. On this evidence, his side are still somewhat short as they were utterly bossed by Celtic.
The league leaders were, of course, missing several key players but the reigning champions dominated the play.
Edouard fired a shot from the edge of the box high into the net to open the scoring, before Benkovic doubled the lead with a header – his first goal for the club.
French striker Edouard then scored his second and Celtic's third, firing home a Kieran Tierney cross from close range.
In truth, it was far too easy for Celtic, who peppered the Hearts goal with further efforts. They eased up a gear to make it 4-0 after 65 minutes as Edouard turned provider for Forrest to lash home in the box.
And there was sparkle in the build up to the penalty award for their fifth, Celtic sweeping forward before Forrest was brought down as he ran across goal. Ryan Christie dispatched the spot kick. In general, Celtic were in cruise control.
Hearts offered little in terms of any kind of threat. Steven MacLean fired in a close range shot and Ben Garuccio hit a post in the latter part of the second half, which was as good as it got for the away side.
Celtic back to their best – analysis
Celtic are now flexing their muscles and the momentum is clear to see. The form appears to be back to the level they established in Brendan Rodgers' first two seasons, which bodes well for their crucial home game against RB Leipzig in the Europa League on Thursday – one Celtic have to win if they are to make progress in the competition.
All in all, it was a tough afternoon for Hearts. Questions were always going to be asked about their strength in depth having lost key players to injury, and against the best in the Premiership they were found wanting. Their only real solace is that, for now, they remain top.
'Our attacking play was unbelievable'- reaction
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "Today typified our achievements over the past two and half years.
"We've been in European competition playing really difficult games and to produce what we've produced today shows our hunger and a sense that the team's back. Some of our attacking combination play was unbelievable."
Hearts manager Craig Levein: "I felt, although we lost two goals in the second-half, I actually felt much better. To be fair to the players, they ran their socks off and put in a much better performance.
"We get a lot of players back [from injury] at the start of December. We'll have a lot more strength-in-depth once we get to the winter break [in January]. We'll consign this result to the dustbin."