Clinical Kyogo
The Japanese international followed on from his late goal against Dundee United with another great performance. His movement was a threat the whole night, and he linked up with the midfield expertly. Last time out at Fir Park, he missed several chances before finally hitting the back of the net. That was not the case this time, though, as the former Vissel Kobe man opened the scoring 19 minutes in with a calm finish after great work from Matt O'Riley. The 27-year-old now has 11 goals so far this season as he appears to be back to his best. And it was not just in the box that his presence was felt, as he did a lot of good defensive work as well. The epitome of this was when he turned defence into attack in a matter of seconds after he won back the ball, beat a couple of players and played a sensational pass to release Jota, who chipped Liam Kelly. Despite VAR ruling the goal to be offside, it highlights how much of an influence Kyogo had on the game.
O'Riley controls the midfield
As expected, the Hoops enjoyed the bulk of possession throughout the 90 minutes. The visitors were dominant in the middle of the park, and this was by in large thanks to the Denmark under-21 international. His poise and skill allowed Ange Postecoglou's men to move the ball quickly during the game. He played a crucial role in the first goal of the match as after a poor touch, he put in a superb challenge to win back the ball and then played it across the face of goal for Kyogo, who was there to tap it in. The Dane was a general in the middle of the park, and he showed he can do the physical aspects of the game just as well as the technical parts.
Super subs
The Scottish champions have plenty of strength in depth. The fact Postecoglou can bring on players such as David Turnbull and Daizen Maeda, who combined for the second goal, shows just how much quality the Australian has at his disposal. The changes were enough to see Celtic over the line in the end, and the nature of the substitutions meant they were able to gain the three points relatively comfortably.
READ MORE:
- WATCH: Celtic's controversial VAR offside call against Motherwell
- Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou's Steve Clarke Scotland rebuttal in full
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