IN terms of copybook blots, Celtic’s solitary domestic blip this season is right up there on the severity chart right alongside captain Chelsey Sullenberger landing US Airways flight 11549 in the Hudson River and forgetting to turn off the seatbelt sign before wheeching down the fire escape.
During a campaign that up until last night had contained four Betfred Cup matches, two William Hill Scottish Cup ties and 26 games in the Ladbrokes Premiership, this high-flying Celtic team had won 31 out of those 32 encounters. The one slip if you can even call of that came on this tricky patch of turf in the shadows of the Kessock Bridge, the picturesque scene spoiled for Brendan Rodgers as his team conceded a late goal to be held 2-2.
Twenty two straight league wins since that afternoon on September 18, though, a relentless Celtic team still remained irked by those two points conceded over five months ago .
Any sense of trepidation on returning to the scene of that petty crime would have been added to by Inverness Caley Thistle’s dramatic 2-1 win over Rangers on Friday night.
Yet, despite putting up a stuffy fight in the opening half an hour as Celtic appeared jittery in the Arctic conditions, goals from Scott Sinclair, Stuart Armstrong and a Moussa Dembele brace soon warmed things up for the thousands of travelling fans in the South Stand in this 4-0 victory.
Richie Foran’s men rarely troubled Craig Gordon – a Billy McKay shot and a well saved Liam Polworth fizzer late on was about the best of it – but the way they stalled this well-oiled juggernaut will be of some consolation for the Irishman and his bid to keep Inverness in the Premiership.
However, they really didn’t help themselves at times long before Owain Fon Williams’ howler put Celtic out of sight just 12 seconds into the second half. With the visitors constantly pressing and Caley Thistle restricted to counter attacks, often the ball out from the back wasn’t good enough to alleviate the pressure.
A re-jigged team from Rodgers eventually came good and visibly relaxed with the arrival of Dembele’s 30th goal of a mesmerising campaign. Mikael Lustig was brought back in for Cristian Gamboa, while Gary Mackay-Steven was given a rare run out on the right wing for the injured James Forrest. Interestingly, captain Scott Brown was shunted further forward with Nir Bitton anchoring the team at the base of midfield.
Celtic had plenty of possession but looked stumped by a stuffy Inverness defence, yet they were eventually undone with a moment of magic two minutes before the break. Sinclair got the better of Ross Draper 25 yards out in front of goal. The forward wriggled free, created space and bent a wonderful shot out of the diving reach of Fon Williams.
If the Welsh keeper was blameless for that one, he was utterly culpable just seconds after the restart for the next. A Gary Warren pass back seemed straight forward for him but for a devilish bobble. A fluffed clearance spun up a yard from the keeper’s boot only for Dembele to nip in, chip him and slot into an empty net.
A foul on Sinclair after 66 minutes by Louis Laing gave Arm strong an opportunity from 25 yards out on the left side. The Inverness-native obliged with a stunning free-kick into the near top corner.
Celtic still weren’t done as Dembele hauled his tally to 31 with 17 minutes to go.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel