9th September 2026; McDiarmid Park, Perth, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, St Johnstone versus Celtic; Ex Celtic player Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton saw a glimmer of hope for Martin O’Neill as Celtic finally got off the mark in the Europa League.
The 3-2 win over Besiktas won’t go down as one of the great European nights but all that mattered for the manager was that his side recorded a win.
Recent stats had drawn comparisons to Wilfried Nancy but that debate can now be put on hold.
Going into the match Celtic had won three, drawn one and lost six of their previous ten matches. Coming out of it with four wins in 11 ahead of facing Kilmarnock on Sunday seems a little better.
The points lift Celtic away from 35th place in the Europa League table. Being 32nd isn’t much better but in theory the next two matches, away to Torreense and Omonia offer the chance to get back into contention to progress.
Credit where credit is due. Lots of pressure on the team going into this game. Far from perfect but not an easy place to play in the current climate. Good use of the bench (should have started Osmand and Duran) and a much better second half performance. Maybe a glimmer… ?
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) November 5, 2026
O’NEILL- TEAM CHANGES AND SUBSTITUTES
It was a strange performance from Celtic after the shock of the team being announced.
O’Neill made five changes, Jordan Lotomba made his debut with Camilo Duran relegated to the bench.
Celtic never really made any progress in the first half but did emerge from it with a clean sheet.
When Beskitas took the lead from the rebound to a penalty in the 54th minute the script looked ominous.
Three substitutions in the 61st minute freshened things up with the goal0scorers all coming off the bench.
Callum Osmand equalised with his second touch. When Duran switched to centre forward almost instantly be put Celtic into the lead.
Beskitas did equalise in the 85th minute but Duran wasn’t to be denied as he popped in an 87th minute winner.
The storms around Celtic Park have paused for now, after the November international break Sutton will get an answer over whether last night truly was a glimmer of hope.
