Dembele’s stunning strike helps Celts rack up yet another victory
When you’re so good the cigar smoke ends up getting in your eyes, the rest of the league has a problem.
Celtic racked up win No.21 on the bounce to help Brendan Rodgers celebrate 20 years in coaching with a crushing, consummate performance which barely felt like it got into second gear, far less out of it.
In the end, the goal from Moussa Dembele on the stroke of hal f- time that broke the deadlock – and Accies – was worth the entry money alone.
Which was just as well for Stuart Armstrong, as the goal of the season contender eclipsed his miss of the season just before it.
But by the time the Frenchman had banged in his second from the spot on the hour, the champions were in the kind of cruise control which looks like seeing them coast all the way home untouched and unscathed.
The stats just keep increasing by the week – 21 straight wins, 32 unbeaten, 24 points clear of Aberdeen at the top, 33 away from Rangers in their distant orbit.
And Dembele racking up his 29th of the season, 15 in the league, his 11th in seven games.
The ovation he received on his long march off the park masked his initial reaction of disappointment at seeing his number held up. But afterwards he admitted: “I wanted to score more than two but the manager took me off which was fine.
“Every player wants to stay on the pitch but when the manager takes you out it’s for the best of the team.
“We are used to it when teams get men behind the ball – every team who plays here tries to play with a low block and we have to find the gaps. It’s hard to play against teams like that but we have to get used to it and do our best to make them move.”
With Accies falling into bottom spot before a ball was kicked, there was only ever one way this would go.
And their five at the back was well drilled. Playing deep, they conceded ground until Celtic breached the final third, then pressed the ball hard to keep it moving around them but rarely through them.
And with Celtic lacking their usual tempo it made for some pretty stuffy viewing.
The Hoops were dealt an early blow when Christian Gamboa played James Forrest into trouble on the halfway line with a poor bal l and Danny Redmond’s challenge took the ball but left the winger in trouble.
After all the chat this week about the nature of some of the tackles flying in recently, it would be unfair to class this one along with them. It was classic hard-but-fair material.
On in h i s place came Gary