Awesome: The brilliant derby pictures as Celtic put one hand on 8-in-a-row

It certainly wasn't a classic but not Celtic fan was complaining when the final whistle was blown by Bobby Madden. Any derby day win is to be savoured but when it creates a 13 point gap with just seven matches left to play it carries extra significance. How you do it barely matters as the fans streaming out of Celtic Park picked their own favoured moments to savour. There was a lot to enjoy from the first half display, some moments of real fear through the second half but as the dust settled the heroes and victors were wearing green and white. Step forward Odsonne Edouard, James Forrest and Kris Ajer. Edouard put in a colossal performance, on his own he had the Ibrox defence terrified, Conor Goldston and Joe Worrall didn't know how to handle the striker as the first goal illustrated. The former Paris Saint Germain striker has came up with priceless winners in the recent wins over Dundee and Hearts. Yesterday he never scored the winning goal but again his presence troubled the visitors defence, Forrest took advantage of the space created with his goal proving decisive. There was still time for heroics from Ajer, firstly with a goalmouth clearance under pressure from Worrall then putting in two vital interceptions. The cast may be changing but the story continues as a sunny day in the east end brough title number eight much much closer. JAMESY BURIES IT His contribution to the eighth title has been mighty, what a medal collection he has. As a youth team player he was a regular scorer, that aspect drifted out of his game but over the last three seasons his contribution has been awesome. In the September derby he made a fantastic run to create the goal for Olivier Ntcham, yesterday he was the executioner as he calmly drilled home from 15 yards out after Odsonne Edouard had opened up the visitors defence. OH EDDIE! Coming in while Moussa Dembele was at his peak has proved to be ideal for the former Paris Saint Germain striker, this time last year he started making his mark. Costing £9m last summer was a major decision on the part of Celtic, with Dembele gone and some frustrating injuries his value was questioned but when fit he is devastating. Decisive goals away to Hearts and Dundee created the gap, yesterday's opener followed by the assist for the winner has put one hand on the SPFL trophy, only delivery date is still to be decided. THE TITLE WINNER! Goal number 21 of the season for the home grown winger! Forrest had a tough shift to put in, he was regularly required to drop deep to provide support for Mikael Lustig. His attacking instinct saw him drive deep in to the visitors penalty box, he anticipated the movement of Odsonne Edouard then created the space to shake off Andy Halliday and calmly slotted the ball wide of Allan McGregor. IT'S ALL KICKING OFF For reasons best known to himself Andy Halliday decided to confront Scott Brown something he has barely managed in almost three years during regulation time. Scott Bain was quickly on the scene with half a dozen of Halliday's team mates suddenly getting a rush of confidence. Badly outnumbered Mikael Lustig ended up on the deck with a torn jersey but it's been reported that Halliday, Wesley Foderingham and Danny Candeias all picked up yellow cards for their involvement. BACK IN THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE It was a massive day for the caretaker boss, he took a few risks with his team selection but seemed to be coming up with a winning hand in the first half. Early in the second half the foot came off the gas, Celtic eased up with Ryan Kent turning the game on it's head with an equaliser. Injuries to Kieran Tierney and Dedryck Boyata saw Celtic down to ten men but they retained their attacking instinct, gaining their reward in the 86th minute when Forrest delivered the winning goal. THE DOMINATING 20-YEAR-OLD What a display from the young Norwegian, as his fellow defenders were falling by the wayside Ajer got stronger and stronger. Throughout the 90 minutes he defended strongly and showed a willingness to break forward whenever the opportunity arose. The last ten minutes of action will never be forgotten from the moment he blocked a chance for Joe Worrall to level the scores. He put his body on the line in a display that will never be forgotten by the fans who witnessed it. RED CARD FOR THE BUFFALO After the December derby clash Alfredo Morelos must have felt that was untouchable. Just over half an hour of failure to break his derby duck things got too much for him, Scott Brown brushed past with the Colombian reacting in predictable fashion. What happened next was less predictable as Bobby Madden turned around and pulled out a red card on the nod from his assistant. Despite the protests from his team-mates off he went on off he went with even Steven Gerrard giving up on his £20m rated striker. GOOOOOOOAL CELTIC! Look at the composure, look at the concentration. A week earlier the Scotland international manager dropped James Forrest for a match against San Marino. Forrest timed his run perfectly, he expected the pass to be delivered by Odsonne Edouard then simply slid his shot wide of Allan McGregor into the net. Alongside Callum McGregor he has been the most influential player of the season, a regular 7 out of 10 and now closing in on 20 club goals for the season. THE LAUGHING SWEDE Ryan Jack's face is a picture as he clocks the smile on Mikael Lustig's face. Well overdue Alfredo Morelos finally saw red against Celtic after almost two months of retaliation had gone unpunished but certainly not un-noticed. He got away with it in December but not this time. He had made little impact and appears to be believing the in-house hype that he is some sort of in-demand high quality striker. His transfer fee this summer will nail that myth. HE'S DID IT AGAIN! What a man, what a player, what a striker. He hasn't developed the same level of affection as Moussa Dembele but what a contribution he has made, Neil Lennon certainly doesn't doubt his value to the team. A year ago at Ibrox he came on as a substitute and won the match, a quick fire double officially clinched last season's title with yesterday's contribution separating the sides and opening the gap to 13 points.

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JAMESY BURIES IT

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