July 19, (THEWILL) — Celtic delivered a commanding performance at Celtic Park on Saturday evening, dismantling Newcastle United 4-0 in what proved to be a comprehensive pre-season victory. The Scottish champions capitalised on defensive errors and clinical finishing to secure an emphatic win over Eddie Howe’s side, who had entered the fixture buoyed by their 4-0 triumph against Carlisle United the previous week.
Arne Engels broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 28th minute before Johnny Kenny doubled the advantage with an opportunistic finish. Kenny’s goal came courtesy of a significant misjudgement from Newcastle goalkeeper, Nick Pope, who failed to deal with a long ball, leaving the striker with a simple tap-in to an unguarded net. The error proved costly for the Magpies, who struggled to recover their composure after falling two goals behind.
Yang Hyun-jun extended Celtic’s lead early in the second half with a well-taken effort, effectively ending Newcastle’s hopes of mounting a comeback. Liam Scales completed the rout with a precise header from Kieran Tierney’s delivery, capping off an impressive team performance from Brendan Rodgers’ men. The victory provided Celtic with valuable momentum ahead of their upcoming friendly against Ajax on Thursday.
Newcastle managed to create several opportunities despite the heavy defeat, with Anthony Gordon and debutant Anthony Elanga providing the most consistent threats in attack. Sean Neave came close to reducing the deficit late in the match, directing a close-range header towards Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo. The visitors’ starting XI featured experienced players including Bruno Guimaraes, Harvey Barnes, Kieran Trippier and Jacob Murphy, though they could not prevent the comprehensive defeat.
The match took place against a backdrop of intense transfer speculation surrounding Newcastle’s attacking options. Alexander Isak was notably absent from Howe’s squad following Liverpool’s recent bid for the Swedish striker, which the Magpies have rejected. Hugo Ekitike also remains the subject of transfer interest, adding uncertainty to Newcastle’s preparations for the new campaign. The Tyneside club will now travel to Singapore for their next pre-season fixture against Arsenal, whilst Celtic prepare for their league opener against St. Mirren.
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.
