Celtic lock up sixth straight title with eight games in hand
Celtic clinched a sixth straight Scottish Premiership title yesterday with eight games to spare, reinforcing the Glasgow club’s complete supremacy of the domestic game.
Brendan Rodgers’ unbeaten side established an insurmountable 25-point lead by beating Hearts 5-0, a 28th victory in 30 league games. The only draws came away at Inverness and then at home to Rangers.
Celtic’s unbeaten run across three domestic competitions stands at 36 games. The Glasgow team coached by former Liverpool manager Rodgers won the Scottish League Cup in November and are also through to the semifinals of the Scottish Cup.
Celtic are still three titles from matching the club’s record run of success from 1966 to 1974.
“It is only the start for us,” Rodgers said. “I have the responsibility to the supporters. I know what they . . . want and I want to try to bring them as far to that as I possibly can.”
This league campaign started at Hearts in August with a 2-1 victory sealed by Scott Sinclair scoring on his debut — and he netted a hat-trick in yesterday’s return trip to Edinburgh.
There were no wholesale changes to the squad inherited by Rodgers from Ronny Deila.
Rodgers brought in the experienced former Manchester City and Arsenal defender Kolo Toure to help out at the back in the early stages of the campaign.
He tempted the exciting 20-yearold French striker Moussa Dembele from Fulham and he has gone on to score 17 league goals, plus 15 more so far in other competitions.
Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths, who scored 40 goals last season, has often been on the bench although he missed yesterday’s game through injury, as did Dembele. Rodgers has revitalised Sinclair’s career since bringing the former Manchester City and Aston Villa attacker to Scotland. — AP ITALY