Celtic defeated Rangers on Sunday afternoon to claim yet another trophy at Hampden Park in the most nervy Glasgow Derby in recent history.
With three big decisions in the Celtic XI, Neil Lennon opted for Lewis Morgan up top, Johnny Hayes at left-back, and Mohamed Elyounoussi returning to the wing.
With emotions high, Rangers came out strong, but Fraser Forster was as good as ever to cancel out every shot on target. By the end of the first-half, Celtic knew they had to change something with hardly any threatening possession.
Celtic finally broke the deadlock after 60 minutes from a set piece sent in from Ryan Christie and guided in by Christopher Julien’s right boot in front of the Celtic end.
Just three minutes later, however, Celtic were forced to subtract a man after Jeremie Frimpong tugged Alfredo Morelos to the ground. Frimpong was then shown a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity and making no genuine attempt for the ball.
On the ensuing penalty kick, taken by Morelos, Forster saved it down to his right. Not the greatest penalty, but Forster did well to not give a rebound, popping the ball high and away.
Rangers didn’t seem to create many chances despite the man advantage as Celtic closed out the game with Nir Bitton joining the back four.
Here are four findings from Celtic’s latest Glasgow Derby win:
10 Straight
Celtic are the only team in Scotland that has won any top flight trophies in the last four seasons. That means that Celtic now have four Betfred Cups, three Scottish Cups, and three SPFL titles.
While the Hoops aren’t beating Rangers 5-1 like they did twice in their opening season in the SPFL, Celtic are only gaining momentum at the moment with no end in sight as their Europa League triumphs continue into 2020.
Forster the best?
Coming into today, it would be difficult for me, and probably many, to decide if Fraser Forster is better than Artur Boruc. I think today proves who the best keeper of the new century is, and that is Forster. His consistency and shotstopping ability edges “the Holy Goalie” out.
A man who stands the tallest in the club’s biggest games, Forster has now had huge performances leading to wins against Rangers, Lazio, and Barcelona. Forster is as consistent as it comes when it comes to goalkeepers. It is hard to believe that Southampton had this world class goalkeeper sitting as the third choice.
Morelos Magic
Another Glasgow Derby without a goal from Alfredo Morelos. That is now 11 Glasgow Derbies without a goal for the Colombian international. Morelos had plenty of chances, including the missed penalty and a couple shots saved or off target.
Considering the tremendous form he’s been in the last two seasons, and especially this season, it is quite incredible that he’s not found the back of the net against the Scottish champions.
The Forward Situation
This was not ideal for Celtic today. Lennon forced into throw Morgan up top in recent matches, where he hasn’t been terrible, but still clearly not a striker. Today that was very clear. Without much possession, Morgan struggled to have any sort of impact.
After 59 minutes Lennon had seen enough, replacing Morgan with Odsonne Edouard. In the first few seconds on the pitch, Edouard got involved right away, winning the free kick that led to the game’s only goal.
I think every Celtic fan hopes to see Leigh Griffiths return to the Celtic starting XI on Thursday’s Europa League group stage finale against Cluj.