It’s well known that Celtic’s 2-1 loss against the Rangers last December was a turning point for both clubs. As the winter break set in, the squads went to Dubai and one returned with a long winning streak, whilst the other capitulated. Odsonne Edouard said that losing to the Rangers was the best thing that happened to Celtic as it sprung them into action.
The Hoops didn’t actually come back completely firing on all cylinders straight away though. Our return to action was in the Scottish Cup at Firhill, where the Bhoys beat Partick Thistle 2-1. The match report by Niall J of The Celtic Star can be found here.
Neil Lennon named an adventurous side, which paid off when Leigh Griffiths put Celtic in front on 12 minutes.
Line up: Fraser Forster, Jeremie Frimpong, Christopher Jullien, Nir Bitton, Greg Taylor, Scott Brown, Olivier Ntcham, Callum McGregor, Tom Rogic, Leigh Griffiths, Odsonne Edouard
Callum McGregor didn’t add a second until the 84th minute, which wasn’t exactly superb stuff considering that Partick were a side from a lower division.
The hosts then got a consolation in the last minute after a dodgy penalty decision.
It wasn’t scintillating, but it was a return to winning ways. The performances would quickly pick up with a change of shape though and then Celtic really kicked on. But first and foremost it’s the result that’s necessary – Celtic must get back to winning ways at Pittodrie, just as they did after the last Glasgow Derby defeat.