February 03, (THEWILL) – Celtic moved to the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 win against Old Firm rivals Rangers, courtesy of the ruthlessness of the team in front of goal in the first-half.
Before the interval, the Hoops were unstoppable, rushing to a three-goal lead and then managing the game flawlessly to set up a season-ending showdown. With 14 games left to play, they are now one point ahead of their fiercest rivals.
Reo Hatate’s goal put the home crowd into a frenzy after only five minutes. The January signing took one touch to prepare himself before sending a crisp attempt into the far corner after collecting a loose ball from a corner.
Celtic were on fire in the first half hour, spurred on by a raucous crowd, forcing veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor into a run of fine stops to keep the hosts’ lead intact.
Rangers had barely created an opening before the interval, and the Bhoys made it 2-0 seconds after Joe Aribo denied teammate Scott Arfield a clear sight of goal with an over-hit pass. Hatate was the hero once more, curling home after Liel Abada and Joe O’Riley had combined neatly.
Soon after, Borna Barisic’s egregious defending allowed Abada to convert Hatate’s cross, making things even worse for the Gers.
Celtic’s intensity waned in the second half, with Rangers sporadically getting a half-chance. Ryan Kent sent a ball across the face of goal that begged to be finished, while Scott Arfield hit a long-range shot.
In reality, the Gers never looked like they were going to be able to put a glove on their bitter opponents, as Celtic cruised to a resounding victory. The implications for Giovanni van Bronckhorst now will be to hope that Celtic slips off somewhere down the line while they keep amassing points to defend their title.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
