Dembele doubles up
Frenchman nets twice as Celtic stretch their lead at the top to a sizeable 24 points
EVERY game seems like a walk in the park for a team who are on a winning run that stretches to 21 league matches and 32 games in all domestic competition this term. Spring has sprung eternally at Celtic Park as Brendan Rodgers has cultivated a relentless philosophy.
It is not just Rodgers’ influence which has elevated Celtic so far ahead this term; the contribution of the prolific and coveted Moussa Dembele is impossible to ignore. The 20-year-old Frenchman netted a sumptuous opener on the cusp of the interval and added a second from the spot just before the hour mark. As the game wore on, however, and Dembele chased his hattrick – what would have been his third this month – with two wild efforts from distance his number went up and Leigh Griffiths made his first Celtic appearance since the end of January.
Dembele looked irked at the hook, although Rodgers insisted later that it was more important to get Griffiths some game time than it was for the Frenchman to take home another match ball.
“He was milking the applause, he was enjoying it,” said Rodgers of Dembele’s languid trudge towards the touchline. “He’s a striker, he wanted the hat-trick and what not. But there is no individual bigger than the team.”
Certainly there were no complaints about his performance. “The boy oozes quality; he absolutely oozes quality and for a 20-year-old to see the improvements he’s making is just fantastic”, enthused Rodgers.
“He was outstanding today. He maybe could have got another hat-trick but it doesn’t matter.”
Griffiths would have been relieved with the game time after the very public rebuke from his manager this month regarding his lifestyle, but the afternoon, in keeping with the season as a whole belonged to Dembele. Eleven goals in his last 7 games have added to his tally of 29 for the campaign overall. His goals took Celtic into a 24-point lead at the top of the table on the day when Rodgers revealed he was celebrating the 20th anniversary of earning his coaching badges.
For the opening 44 minutes of this game, Hamilton Accies were compact and resolute. Martin Canning would not have been the only person in the ground expecting to head into the interval with the game still goalless, however, Dembele’s opener was breathtaking in its execution.
The striker’s quick and clever drag-back took out Massimo Donati, formerly of Celtic’s parish, before he skipped forward and unleashed a right-foot drive that nestled into the top corner.
He added his second after Kieran Tierney was upended by the Donati in the box just before the hour mark to add to what is already a burgeoning reputation.
Stuart Armstrong, making his first start in a month, will feel that he too should have had his name on the scoresheet after two cracking chances; the first he cannoned off the crossbar from close range after Tierney had spun a ferocious square ball across the face of the goal while in the second period he ought to have capitalised on a flick into his path from Griffiths. Not that it mattered hugely. From Hamilton’s perspective it was an exercise in damage limitation, and although Canning had no beef with Celtic’s penalty, he felt as though the visitors should have had one of their own.
“Grammy [Gramoz Kurtaj] went down in the box after Scott Brown had come wrong side and clipped his heels,” he said.
“I don’t think he meant it, but there’s enough to make him go down and Gramoz ended up getting booked.”
Celtic could and should have scored more, but from Hamilton’s precarious position at the bottom of the table there was a necessity in keeping the scoreline down even after the game had been lost.
“The penalty changes the game,” said Canning. “It becomes difficult because you’re thinking ‘Do we go now and try to get back in it, and risk losing three, four, five?’ Given how tight it is the goal difference could maybe play a part.”
The clouds are gathering ominously over Hamilton now – Inverness’ win over Rangers added to yesterday’s defeat has left them on the foot of the table – and the immediate run of fixtures against top-six teams Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and St Johnstone could be pivotal in sealing their fate this season.
For Celtic, though, there was only one blot on the afternoon. James Forrest has been in fine form of late but a challenge from Danny Redmond meant an exit after just nine minutes of the game. Rodgers had complained this week about reckless tackles on his players, however he had no gripe about the incident.
“It was a really good challenge by the boy, it was strong, it was aggressive,” reflected Rodgers.
Everything else is coming up roses as Rodgers’ Celtic amble towards a sixth successive title.
For a 20-year-old to see the improvements he’s making is just fantastic. The boy oozes quality