Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic ‘deserved to win,’ despite the blistery conditions in the Granite City and the Celtic boss praised the travelling Celtic support…
Walk on through the windWalk on through the rainFor your dreams be tossed and blown
Celtic strengthened their grip at the foot of the table with a 1-0 victory at Pittodrie last night. Courtesy of Reo Hatate’s excellent finish, the reigning Scottish champions went seven points clear of their nearest title challengers whilst also carrying a game to spare.
Not the prettiest of performances
It was not the prettiest of performances, but the gruelling fixture list of December will not always serve up quality football at times. Celtic’s patient win depicts champions material, and 40 points accumulated from 42 exemplify the top-class consistency levels of Rodgers’ current group of talented players.
They may have gone under the radar this season, but it is another clean sheet for the solid defence and experienced Kasper Schmeichel. The 38 year-old Danish shotstopper has now had 11 shut-outs from his opening 14 league matches a Celtic goalkeeper.
CCV’s outstanding block
Cameron Carter-Vickers’ block late on to deny Ester Sokler netting an equaliser was an unbelievable piece of defending from the United States internationalist. Despite Auston Trusty’s mistake, the duo are building up a formidable partnership in the backline.
At the other end, Hatate’s crucial winning goal was Celtic’s 41st of their flawless Premiership campaign. The combination of a scintillating forward line coupled with a robust defence highlight that the Hoops will be difficult to stop in any domestic outing from now until May.
▶️ Reo Hatate’s goal was enough to secure Celtic a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in windy conditions at Pittodrie ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/nb4AosF4VH
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 5, 2024
Kudos to Brendan Rodgers
Kudos to Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff for their spot-on tactical in-play management. Substitutes Greg Taylor, Luke McCowan and Adam Idah changed the game. They gave Celtic that added energy and intensity that the match badly craved.
Ultimately, it was Taylor’s expertly weighted pass through to Hatate that was the catalyst for Celtic heading back down the A90 with an important three points.
Speaking post-match to Sky Sports, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers insisted his players were rewarded with their hard-fought efforts.
🗣️ “I’m so happy for our supporters… It’s a great reward for their efforts to get here”
Brendan Rodgers on Celtic’s 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8iOZcXz1Lj
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 4, 2024
‘We deserved to win the game’
The Celtic manager said: “I thought we deserved to win the game. It was a horrible night for football, but we tried to play in the conditions. I thought in the first half, we came through the pitch well, probably just the last past, but sometimes the guys were playing it, and the wind was taking the ball away, so we misplaced a couple of those passes that would’ve got us in.
“Counter-pressing needed to be a wee bit better because they broke out a few times; we just weren’t quick enough on the ball. But then, in the second half, I thought we controlled most of the game, controlled any moments.
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“I’m so happy for our supporters. To travel all the way up here, to be stuck in that corner with the wind and everything coming in at them, to see the team win, it’s a great reward for their effort to get here,” Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers explained: “Of course, there’s going to be one or two you have to defend. Then we ended up getting a fantastic team goal, great pass by Greg Taylor, I brought him on in that inside position, and a wonderful finish by Reo, so I thought on a really really difficult night, tough place to come, to get the clean sheet, to get the win, I thought we deserved (it).”
“It’s really, really windy for the players; I thought both sets of players gave their all. They gave everything to the game, but I’m so happy for our supporters. To travel all the way up here, to be stuck in that corner with the wind and everything coming in at them, to see the team win, it’s a great reward for their effort to get here and a great reward for the players because they gave absolutely everything to the game.”
Conor Spence
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