Celtic Storms Ahead as Rangers Slip Up
Celtic’s march towards the Scottish Premiership title kicked into overdrive this weekend after their Old Firm rivals Rangers slipped to a costly 2-2 draw against Motherwell at Fir Park. The Bhoys capitalized with a thumping 4-0 win over St Johnstone to open up a 14-point lead at the summit heading into the new year.
After the stinging Boxing Day defeat at St Mirren, the pressure was on Rangers boss Philippe Clement to get a reaction from his squad. However, Motherwell had other ideas and stormed into a shock two-goal lead courtesy of strikes from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Tawanda Maswanhise. The Light Blues were given a lifeline when substitute Hamza Igamane pulled one back early in the second half.
Tensions boiled over with Well gaffer Stuart Kettlewell sent off for his protests, before the hosts had two goals disallowed. Igamane eventually curled home the equalizer, but 10 minutes of added time still wasn’t enough for Rangers to find a winner as boos rang out from the away end at full-time. With Celtic in rampant form, their bitter Glasgow foes now face a near impossible task to catch them in the title race.
Kyogo at the Double as Celtic Cruise
Ange Postecoglou’s side wasted no time asserting their authority at Celtic Park, with Nicolas Kühn firing them in front against St Johnstone. Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi then struck twice in quick succession after the break to seal the points, before Daizen Maeda rounded off another resounding victory.
We wanted to finish the year strongly and the bhoys have done that emphatically. Our focus is solely on continuing to improve and keeping this run going.
– Ange Postecoglou, Celtic Manager
The commanding win over the Saints means Celtic have now scored 14 goals without reply in their last 3 matches and end 2024 with just two defeats across all competitions. Postecoglou’s side also collected a domestic treble in the calendar year and look odds-on to retain their league crown based on current form.
Ross County Snatch Late Draw Against Hearts
Elsewhere in the Premiership, goals from Josh Nisbet and Jordan White deep into stoppage time salvaged an unlikely point for Ross County against fellow strugglers Hearts. The Jambos had looked on course for a vital victory courtesy of a double from teenage sensation James Wilson, only for the Staggies to strike at the death.
Meanwhile, Simon Murray’s headed brace earned Dundee a hard-fought 2-1 win over St Mirren, while Nectar Triantis was the match winner as Hibernian edged out 10-man Kilmarnock 1-0 to make it four straight victories.
Key Takeaways from the Scottish Premiership Weekend
- Celtic now hold a commanding 14-point lead over Rangers
- Kyogo Furuhashi’s double against St Johnstone takes his season tally to 18 goals
- Rangers slump to 2-2 draw at Motherwell after leading protests against manager
What’s Next in Scotland’s Top Flight?
The Premiership action resumes on January 2nd with a huge Old Firm derby as Rangers welcome Celtic to Ibrox, knowing anything other than victory will surely end their title hopes. The champions will be out to avenge their only league defeat of the season so far in the reverse fixture and take a giant step towards retaining their crown in the process.
With the gap between Scotland’s top two threatening to become a chasm, Celtic are now heavy favorites to make it back-to-back titles under Ange Postecoglou. Their sensational form in the first half of the season has set an ominous tone for the chasing pack in 2023.
