What a difference a year makes, especially if you happen to be Craig Levein. This time last season on 3 November 2018, Levein’s Hearts side arrived in Glasgow to face Celtic for the second time in 6 days. Hearts went into the game as league leaders. The fall from grace since has been more of a plummet than gradual decline.
Levein’s side at this stage of the 2019/2020 season in comparison are 20 points off the pace set by Celtic at the top. It’s sacking form for a club the size of Hearts. When the axe fell yesterday you felt it was an act of mercy from Ann Budge.
The previous clash played out controversially at Murrayfield in the Betfred Cup Semi Final had resulted in a 3-0 win for Celtic. It also signified the emergence of Ryan Christie. We stepped back in time to revisit that one last week.
Celtic’s Main Man – A year since Murrayfield and the emergence of Ryan Christie
For this encounter Celtic lined up:
Craig Gordon, Mikael Lustig, Dedryck Boyata, Filip Benkovic, Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, Tom Rogic, Scott Sinclair, James Forrest and, Odsonne Edouard.
Celtic’s 5-0 victory in front of crowd of 58,831 was very much one way traffic.
The first goal arrived in the 18th minute as Edouard showed his class early doors. Receiving a ball from Scotty Sinclair on Celtic’s left and cutting inside he faced up Hearts Haring at the edge of the box. Given the inch of space he needed French Eddie thumped a right footed shot high into top right corner of Hearts keeper Zlamal’s net. As fine a start to the proceedings as you could hope for and it set the tone.
The second came courtesy of the head of Filip Benkovic. The towering centre half was given a criminal amount of space in the box by his marker Dunne and met Callum McGregor’s corner kick flush, powering it past Zlamal and setting off in celebration looking one happy Bhoy.
Celtic added a third before the half time break and the writing was on the wall for the travelling Hearts support. Just before the goal Christie had almost scored a third as he slid in but just failed to connect on a fiercely delivered left wing pass across goal from Kieran Tierney. The warning hadn’t been heeded.
Callum McGregor fed Tierney on the Hearts right again and this time the Celtic left back delivered an earlier and deeper cross. Odsonne Edouard read the intent and moved early meeting the ball inside the six yard box and finishing with ease past a frustrated looking Zlamal. The keeper had got to the ball but couldn’t keep out the effort.
The first real chance of the second half fell to Callum McGregor. Picking the ball up from his own half he drove at the Hearts midfield then defence. He shimmied to his right just inside the area and released an effort the home crowd willed to find the net as just reward for the endeavour. Sadly justice wasn’t done and it slipped just past the keepers’ right hand post. It would have been a goal of the season contender had it found the net.
The fourth goal wasn’t long in coming though. This time Edouard found himself on the touchline on the right hand side. He carried the ball inside and along the 18 yard line. The young Frenchman laid the ball off to James Forrest inside the box and moved to receive the return ball. It never came.
Forrest assumed Hearts would be expecting it and instead when seeing just a glimpse of net released a fine low right footed drive to catch the hearts defence, Zlamal and even Edouard off guard. A lovely finish and quick thinking from The Celtic Star player of the year.
James Forrest was involved in the fourth goal as well. Ryan Christie drove in from Celtic’s left hand side and tried to feed the ball to Kieran Tierney. The ball instead broke back from the hearts six yard line and was picked up by Forrest. Crowded for space Jamesey tried to create enough space to release a shot but his quick feet outfoxed Hearts Wighton who tripped the Celtic winger and referee John Beaton pointed to the spot.
Ryan Christie stepped up to take the penalty kick and was coolness personified as he passed the penalty low to the keepers left with Zlamal taking off in the opposite direction. Penaties alwas look great when the keeper goes the wriong way don’t they? Ryan’s penalty just kissed the post in the way into the net.
It was the fifth and final effort on a fine day for Celtic as the gap was narrowed at the top of the league to just one point. Celtic blew away leaders Hearts for the the second time in six days and outclassed their Edinburgh opposition to record a seventh straight domestic win.
Hearts offered little in terms of any kind of threat. Steven MacLean fired in a close range shot and Garuccio hit a post in the latter part of the second half. That was as good as it got for the Gorgie side.
The Celtic Star Man of the Match was – Odsonne Edouard.
The then Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had this to say on the game:
“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.”
As ever The Celtic Star was at the game. This is the match report by The Editor just after the final whistle.
Top columnist and historian David potter also covered the game. You can read his pride at the emergence of a young and vibrant Celtic side after a tough start to the season here.
As ever we also have the match highlights for you. A nice short hop down memory lane to a year ago this weekend.
Niall J
ALSO ON THE CELTIC STAR…
Scott Brown on Celtic’s Great Cup Run, the Rangers Hampden Hoodoo that’s strangely ignored
You cannot remove politics from football. Football is much, much more than the game on the pitch
