This was as good as the 5-1 thrashing at Parkhead, says Sinclair
ASCORING derby debut in a 5-1 rout has given all of Scott Sinclair’s subsequent Old Firm experiences something tough to live up to.
The scoreline yesterday wasn’t as emphatic as that first meeting of the season back in September. Sinclair, however, feels Celtic were every bit as dominant on the pitch as they moved within 90 minutes of the Treble.
The £3.5million winger secured progression to the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen on May 27 with a second-half penalty after James Tavernier caught a fastbreaking Leigh Griffiths inside the area.
And ahead of the last derby of the season at Ibrox on Saturday, Sinclair was thrilled to quell any talk of their rivals gaining ground.
‘It’s a great feeling to win and there’s a lot of relief in the team, but the thing is, I think that was one of the best performances that we’ve had all season,’ he argued.
‘It was definitely as good as the 5-1 game in terms of the way we controlled the game from start to finish, the way we set up, and the chances we created. It was excellent.
‘Hopefully, we disprove every week that Rangers are closing the gap on us with the way we keep winning every week.
‘It’s great, it keeps our confidence up and, hopefully, we can do it right to the end of the season.
‘It’s always a massive game when you play Rangers and you always want to go out and win the game, but it’s not just them, every team we play against we want to win.’
Pedro Caixinha’s game plan simply didn’t function during the first half as they stood off their opponents to provide a pathway to control. It was a different, more anaemic, approach to that deployed when the Ibrox side grabbed a 1-1 draw at Parkhead last month.
‘The last time we played against them we drew and we didn’t really play well as a team,’ said Sinclair.
‘We came away from that, looked back at it, and asked how we could get back to our very best against them. It goes to show today that we knew how to get the job done.
‘I wasn’t surprised that Rangers set up defensively, because we have so much belief in our team and we just set up the way we are going to and worry about ourselves. However their manager wants to set up is totally up to him, but for us, with the way we’ve been winning games every week, the team spirit in the camp is great.
‘What pleased me the most? I think the belief we had as a team was the most pleasing aspect right from the start.
‘From the dressing room and going out on to the pitch, there was just a feeling that everyone was on it. There was no doubt that we knew we were going to win.
‘In the last three weeks, we haven’t played our best football.
‘We have obviously won the league, and we are giving a hell of a lot to keep going and to keep proving ourselves.
‘We had to get back on it and I think if we can carry that performance from today right throughout the season, then we can keep winning.’
Asked if he expected the same again from Rangers at Ibrox this weekend, Sinclair replied: ‘I’m sure their manager will go back and look at the game and decide his formation and changes from that, but if we go out and play like we did today then we should win the game again.’
Sinclair was in no doubt about taking the penalty despite missing his previous effort from the spot in a 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle earlier this month.
‘I wanted to redeem myself,’ he added. ‘Obviously there’s more pressure in this game than in the game that I missed, but when I stepped up I wanted to put it away and I did that.
‘Moussa (Dembele) had come off, so it was up to me to step in. I’m always confident when I step up and you just have to put the pressure to one side — and make sure you get your head down and score the goal.’
Unbeaten in 41 domestic games this season, only Aberdeen on May 27 now stand in the way of Celtic completing a clean sweep of trophies.
‘Loads of people talk about the Invincibles and Trebles, but we just go into training and be as normal as possible,’ claimed Sinclair.
‘We can’t look too far ahead. It would be great if we did it, but at the same time we have to take it step by step and game by game.
‘That’s what we’ve done until now and, hopefully, we can keep that form up and we’ll see how it goes.’