Deep, deep into injury time Glenn Loovens delivered a telling header to send Celtic clear at the top of the SPL.
When I saw a link to THIS CLIP I was expecting a blurred, shaky clip of the goal but by You Tube standards it’s almost High Definition plasma style.
BBC highlights (for UK based viewers only, licence payers!)
It was a strange performance from Celtic today, something’s not quite right and it’s hard to identify the cause, the free flowing football from the opening two SPL games and the win away to Dinamo Moscow is a distant memory as the team struggle to shake off the hangover of last season.
The injury to Marc-Antoine Fortune and the transfer of Massimo Donati seem to have had a major impact on the team with no area of the side functioning properly.
POSSESSION
Hearts opening goal after just five minutes was very preventable and brought back worrying memories of last weeks draw with Dundee United. Scott Brown lost possession of the ball in the middle of the park and in next to no time Suso Santana was finding the net with a shot that Artur Boruc really should have dealt with.
Pleasingly Celtic threw virtually everything into attack even though it was hardly the most co-ordinated of play. Landry N’Guemo was in better form than of late but again there was too much of a reliance on Aiden McGeady with Shaun Maloney worryingly out of touch.
There were plenty of chances being created but no takers with some comic cut defending almost allowing Hearts to go two up in the 41st minute when Gary Caldwell cleared an Andrew Driver shot off the line with sparks flying between Caldwell and Boruc.
Celtic kept up the pressure after the break with Chris Killen scoring his first goal at Celtic Park with an impressive header in the 55th minute after Maloney had sent in the sort of cross that physical centre forwards live for.
The tension and unrest around the stadium eased after that as the team chased the goal that would take them to the top of the table.
SWAPPED
Niall McGinn replaced Maloney in the 68th minute and after starting on the left wing swapped flanks with McGeady over to the right wing.
Five minutes from the end McGinn was sent sprawling in the penalty box from a Lee Wallace challenge but after looking to his assistant for help referee Dougie McDonald waved aside the penalty claims to award Celtic a free kick.
Three weeks ago at Hibs the same referee gave McGeady his second yellow card of the day for alleged simulation, surely if it wasn’t a penalty then he should have yellow carded McGinn?
INSPIRATION
Four minutes added time signalled a roar from the crowd but there was no real inspiration on the park until Wallace inexplicatly allowed the ball to go out of play for a corner believing that a goal kick would be awarded.
Danny Fox’s inswinging corner from the right was punched weakly by keeper Janos Balogh, Aiden McGeady sent a header back into the six yard box with Loovens first to react to bundle the ball into the net.
The garden is far from rosy at Celtic but today’s win should give the team a much needed confidence boost and shows that the fighting spirit is alive and well in the face of adversity.
Major surgery requires to be carried out in the team, that task will be a little easier from the top of the table as Mowbray gets to understand the mechanics of the squad and puts his stamp on things.
A post Massimo hangover? Mmmmmm, interesting. Great report and spot on.
I reckon we are missing MAF more than the naysayers think.